.*v^ 










^ 1^'. 







Class JBS^M 

Book ,"02uH3 

Gopglit W 



COPYRIGHT DEPOSrr 




Daniel interpreting the dream. 



THE STORY 



OF 



Daniel the Prophet 



BY 

STEPHENS. HASKELL 




"But go thy way till the end be: for thou shalt rest, and stand in thy 
lot at the end of the days." Dan. 12 : 13. 



BIBLE TRAINING SCHOOL, 

South Lancaster, Mass. 
1908. 






lIbrary of congress} 

Two Copies Kecft!v«. 

FEB 24 1908 

COl^Y 3. 



Entered according to Act of Congress in the year igo8, by 
STEPHEN N. HASKELL, 

In the office of the Librarian of Cojigress, Washington, D. C. 



ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 



PRESS OF 

SOUTH LANCASTER PRINTING CO., 

SOUTH LANCASTER, MASS. 




AUTHOR'S PREFACE. 



The world is flooded with fictitious reading of all grades. The 
unreal is presented in the most fascinating style, while too often the 
living truths taken from God's Word are presented in a heavy, somber 
style. The Bible is the most interesting of all books. It is adapted to 
every mind. In the Story of Daniel the Prophet, a few of the 
interesting facts in regard to God's dealings with His people have been 
gathered into, a simple narrative. 

The book is the result of much prayerful study. It is sent forth 
with an earnest prayer, that in the hands of the parents it may be the 
means of nlaking the study of the Bible in the family a blessing to 
young and old ; and that the teacher in the schoolroom may see pre- 
cious rays of light flashing from its pages, pointing both teacher and 
pupil to the Great Divine Teacher. 

God grant that as it falls into the hands of the careless and unbe- 
lieving, they may be influenced to read, and as they read, may behold 
the beauty of our God, and be led to worship toward His holy temple. 

We trust that while its simplicity will attract many who might not 
be inclined to read a deep argumentative treatise, the most studious will 
find food for thought, and thus become better acquainted with the char- 
acter of our Heavenly Father. Those who wash to enter into a more 
comprehensive study, will find that the marginal references open up 
many veins of precious ore in the deep mines of God's Word. 

We earnestly pray that even the skeptic- may not cast it aside ; but 
that he may give it a careful reading, and while tracing the fulfilled 
prophecy in the history of the world, learn to prize the Word of God. 

3 



4 AUTHOR'S PREFACE. 

Throughout the entire book the special providence of God over 
those who are faithful to Him is brought out in clear contrast to the fate 
of those who ignore His guiding hand. The truth is the same, whether 
in the history of nations or individuals. 

As the Story of Daniel the Prophet goes forth on its mission 
of love for the Great Master, may it prove a blessing to all classes, 
young and old, rich and poor, learned and unlearned. 

S. N. H. 



CONTENTS. 



PAGE. 

Introduction, . .... . . . . . ' . 7 

I. — Daniel and His Fellows Tested, . . . 15 

II. — A Controversy Between Truth and Error, . 31 

III. — True Freedom in Worship, . . . . 43 

IV. — The Most High Ruleth, . . . . -57 
V. — The Last Years of the Babylonian Kingdom, 69 

VI. — The Handwriting on the Wall, . . . .78 

VII. — Daniel in the Lions' Den, . . - . . 88 

VIII. — The Seventh Chapter of Daniel, . . . loi 

IX. — The Eighth Chapter of Daniel, . . . 119 

X. — The History of the Jews, . . . . .136 

XL — The Sanctuary, ....... 154 

XII. — Introduction to the Last Vision, . . . 176 

XIII. — The History of the Decrees, . .. . . 184 

XIV. — The History of Greece, ..... 203 
XV. — Ti^E Fourth Kingdom, ..... 227 

XVI. — The Mystery of Iniquity, . . . / . . 248 

XVII. — The Work of the Mystery of Iniquity, . . . 267 

XVIII. — The Closing Scene, ...... 284 

Outline Study, . . . . . . . . . 303 

Questions for Study, .. . . . . . .312 

Index of Marginal References, . . . ... 351 

5 



FULL PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS. 



Daniel Interpreting the Dream, . . . . Frontispiece. 



PAGE. 



Hebrew Mother Teaching Her Children, .... 20 

The Two Tables, ........ 26 

The Image, .......... 39 

*' He Looked Intently into the Fiery Furnace," . . 50 

The Handwriting on the Wall, ...... 82 

'* Is Thy God . . . Able to Deliver Thee from the Lions } " 98 
The Four Beasts, . . . . . . . . 102 

The Two Laws, . . . « . . . . . .112 

The Ram and the Goat, . . . . . . . 123 

Diagram of the 2,300 Days, . . . . . .147 

The Three Temples, . . . . . . . . 156 

The Fourth Commandment, . .. . . , . .170 

Ppoclamation of Haman's Decree, . . . . . 198 

Priests Watching Grecian Games, . . . . .217 

Mohammedan Call to Prayer, . . . . . . 279 

Modern Inventions, . . . . . . . . 298 

Sanctuary Diagram, ........ 307 



INTRODUCTION. 



The prophecies of the Bible are Hke rare diamonds lying hidden 
in the solitude of the mine. The practiced eye of the prospector 
discovers the gems, and intuitively reads their value; and the skillful 
hand of the lapidary brings out their many-faced beauties in all 
their sparkling glory. Every facet shines like the sun. One can 
not exhaust a diamond ; neither can one exhaust the prophecies. 
New facets remain to be polished, to add their brilliant reflection 
to the whole. In the prophecies as many features appear as there 
are different temperaments that men bring to their study. 

The prophecy of Daniel is no exception. This book has lessons 
for all classes. Because the magnitude of the field of his vision is 
unlimited in extent, it may be studied from points of view which 
no man can number. The historian feasts upon his records. The 
chronologist delights in calculating his periods. The lover of the 
Messiah rejoices in the contemplation of the times and events that 
led to His first advent, and demonstrated His Messiahship. And the 
friend of God traces with pleasure the providential movements by 
which the course of events has been controlled, and men been put 
up, and cast down, just according as they have been instruments 
in God's hand to carry out His beneficent designs and purposes. 

There are lessons in these respects for those who take an 
interest in such themes ; but above, and greater than all, are the 
lessons to be drawn from Daniel's character, — his integrity, his 



8 . INTRODUCTION. 

devotion to duty, and his steadfastness in adhering to true princi- 
ples, in the face of the greatest apparent danger, and in opposition 
to the dictates of worldly policy. These principles glow with 
undimmed luster through all his career, and have encouraged, com- 
forted, and strengthened the "servants of God in all ages. 

Much has been written on the book of Daniel, and much more 
might be written, as long as principles of divine truth, and noble 
examples of adherence to them, form interesting and profitable themes 
of study. In the present work, lessons from this latter source have 
been especially drawn out. These will be found wonderful subjects 
for study, and many remarkable thoughts are presented on these 
points in the following pages. These are lessons which can be laid 
to heart with the most satisfactory and lasting profit. One who 
desires to master the philosophy of an acceptable Christian life, and 
the means and methods by which a close connection with God may 
be maintained, can find no more competent text-book than is furnished 
in the record of the experiences of the prophet Daniel. Do you 
wish to acquire a vivid sense of God's care for His people, and His 
constant remembrance of them, and the easy means He makes use 
of to accomplish His ends, you will find the subject fully exploited 
in the prophecy of Daniel. 

Example is a powerful factor in the promotion of the Christian 
life. *' Be ye followers of me," says Paul, " even as I also am of 
Christ." I Cor. ii :i. He exhorts Timothy to be an <* example of 
the believers." i Tim. 4:12. What higher standard can be raised 
to attain unto, than is shown in Daniel's relation to God.-^ for it is 
said of him that he was a *'man greatly beloved." Such was the 
emphatic testimony borne from God by the angel Gabriel to Daniel, 
coming as he did immediately from the court of heaven and the 
presence of God. 

The occasion on which these words were first spoken, shows 



INTRODUCTION. 9 

what relation the man thus addressed maintained to God, and God 
to him. It was when the prophet, burdened with anxiety in regard 
to a previous vision which he had not understood, appealed to God 
for help. He had been seeking the Lord, by earnest prayer, to 
learn the meaning of it. An angel had been strictly enjoined to 
make Daniel understand all the matter. And now when the angel 
came to complete his mission, and make the prophet understand 
the vision, which he had been prevented by Daniel's illness from 
doing in its completeness in his previous interview (Dan. 8 : 27), he 
says : ** O Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee skill and under- 
standing. At the beginning of thy supplication the commandment 
came forth, and I am come to show thee ; for thou art greatly 
beloved; therefore understand the matter and consider the vision." 
Dan. 9:22, 23. The angel asserts that one reason, perhaps the 
leading reason, why he had now come to give him skill and under- 
standing, was that he was a man "greatly beloved." 

Think of the circumstances of this case. God was imparting 
truth to make known to the world what was to come thereafter. 
He was making use of one of His servants for this purpose. The 
process was temporarily interrupted. But Daniel had fixed his heart 
on understanding all that God had to reveal ; and he lifted up his 
petition to the only source from which help could come. Now mark 
the answer borne from the throne of the universe, by the hand of a 
mighty angel : " At the beginning of thy suppHcation, the command- 
ment came forth!' The commandment referred to, was the command- 
ment, or instruction, to Gabriel, to go down to the earth, to this 
servant of the Lord, and clear up all doubts and uncertainty in his 
mind in regard to the truth on which he was perplexed. 

Will anyone now raise the query. Does the Lord hear prayer .? Is 
He attentive to the wants of His people .? In view of this narrative 
how can we harbor the least vestige of doubt } No sooner does 



10 



introducti6n. 



Daniers prayer begin to ascend to the throne than instruction comes 
forth from God to Gabriel, to go down to the earth and complete 
his mission to the prophet. With alacrity he obeys. And the 
prophet says of him, "Being caused to fly swiftly!' From the 
beginning of Daniel's prayer, as recorded in Daniel 9, to that point 
in the prayer when Gabriel appeared upon the scene (verse 20), could 
not have been over three minutes and a half, at the ordinary rate 
of speech. In this brief space of time the prophet's prayer ascended 
to heaven, it was heard, decision made, and the answer came. There 
is no loitering in heaven. The first faint whisper of want by the 
child of God, is instantly lodged upon the throne. The command to 
answer is given, and the return messenger is at once by the side 
of the prophet, with the response of comfort and joy. No earthly 
"rapid transit" can equal this. What a glimpse does this give us 
into the inner courts of the heavenly world! What a view of the 
divine telegraphy there employed, and waiting at the court's com- 
mand ! What assurance, encouragement, and comfort must these 
great facts impart to every true and trusting servant in the vineyard 
of the Lord ! 

In this story of Daniel, not only is one such incident given, but 
a whole series of them is woven together -in this tapestry of truth. 
They begin with Daniel as prime minister in the court of the king- 
dom of Babylon — Babylon, the city of renown, clothed with such 
magnificence that inspiration has seen fit to describe it as the head 
of gold on the world's great representative image. Daniel 2. The 
Lord by the prophet has called Babylon " the glory of kingdoms, the 
beauty of the Chaldees' excellency." Isa. 13:19. In that city there 
were beauty, glory, and excellency combined in most striking and 
prolific forms. 



INTRODUCTION. ii 

Imagine a space (we must imagine it ; for no such spot existed 
before, and has not existed since) ; — imagine this space containing two 
hundred and twenty-five square miles, situated in a fertile plain, 
wrought up by expert cultivation to the suberb production of orna- 
mental trees and shrubs, fragrant flowers, and substantial fruits, till 
the whole became a veritable paradise, as the garden of the Lord; 
imagine this space laid out in a perfect square, watered by the mag- 
nificent Euphrates, and surrounded by a wall eighty-seven feet thick 
and three hundred and fifty feet high, fifteen miles in length on each 
side, and the great square of the whole area of the city, subdivided 
into lesser squares by twenty-five streets running from each side of 
the city, parallel with the opposite walls, and at right angles with each 
other, and adorned with palaces, porticoes, columns, colonnades, tow- 
ers, monuments, and hanging gardens, arrayed with everything that 
art could embellish or money and labor produce, to make a spot pleas- 
ant to the sight and touch and every bodily sense. 

Such was Babylon, glowing in the light of the Syrian sun, and 
fanned by the blandest zephyrs that ever blew, when Daniel entered 
to serve the long period of seventy years in captivity. But he was 
a captive only to political power. He served the Lord, and was spir- 
itually free. From this point through all the personal experience 
of the prophet, and on through the scenes opened to his mind by the 
spirit of prophecy, the divine narrative runs. These scenes and expe- 
riences are woven together in- this book into one connected whole, and 
the spiritual and practical lessons to be drawn from them are hung 
like banners of light all along the way. 

No one can rise from the study of the prophecies without the 
conviction being deeply graven upon his heart that the end of the 
Christian course well repays all the toil and effort of the heavenly 
journey. The words of the hymn well voice this sentiment : — 



12 INTRODUCTION. 

♦• Then let us hope ; 'tis not in vain ; 

Though moistened by our grief, the soil ; 
The harvest brings us joy for pain; 

The rest repays the weary toil. 
For they shall reap who sow in tears, 
Rich gladness through eternal years." 

After his long service and all his trying cares, the word to Daniel 
was, **Thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of the days." 
The outcome of the Christian service of the disciples in the latter 
days is expressed in a similar strain by the apostle John in the Rev- 
elation : " Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from hence- 
forth : yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors ; 
and their works do follow them." Rev. 14:13. To Daniel, "Go 
thou thy way till the end be : for thou shalt rest, and stand in thy 
lot at the end of the days." To John: ''Surely I come quickly;" 
and "my reward is with me, to give every man according as his 
work shall be." Rev. 22:20, 21. Rest follows the labor; and the 
end will come. Then follows the remainder of the promise : " Thou 
shalt stand in thy lot." The rest is undisturbed, and the lot is sure. 

What is the lot in which Daniel and all of like character are at 
last to stand .? Who can describe it ? for who can conceive of it .? It 
must embrace the condition and all the circumstances of the people 
of God, when gloriously redeemed. And in reference to this, Paul 
utters the following living words : " Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, 
neither have entered into the heart of man, the things that God hath 
prepared for them that love Him." i Cor. 2:9. That is, the boldest 
flight of the imagination, the most intense conception of the unseen 
glories of the heavenly world, have never formed, and can not form, 
in the human mind any tangible idea of what God has prepared and 
has in store for His people. "But God," the apostle continues, "hath 



INTRODUCTION. 13 

revealed them unt-o us by His Spirit." Yes, the Spirit has revealed 
these things to those who are filled with that Spirit, and have re- 
ceived the Holy Ghost. 

We are happy to give, by way of introduction, this word of 
commendation to this book, which has new phases for every earnest 

and spiritually minded reader; and which never grows old. 

U. S. 
Battle Creek y Mich.^ April, I go I. 



A WORD TO THE READER 



It has been with much prayer, and a deep sense of the importance 
of the subject, that these pages have been prepared. We are living 
in the closing scenes of this world's history. The Lord's own testi- 
mony, in the closing words of the book of Daniel, " Go thou thy way 
till the end be : for thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of 
the days," should arrest the attention of all who are interested in pre- 
paring for the coming of Christ. Then the manner in which the Sav- 
iour Himself makes mention of the prophecies of Daniel should not be 
lightly passed by. 'He says, *' When ye therefore shall see the abomina- 
tion of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy 
place, {whoso readeth^ let him understand)!' Daniel the prophet is the 
only one in the Bible to whom the Lord addressed, through the angel 
Gabriel, the words, " Thou art greatly beloved." Such words to any 
living mortal in the flesh are worthy of consideration by the devout. 

We invite a careful perusal of the contents of this work, with the 
prayer that the Lord will impress minds by His Holy Spirit. The book 
is not designed to arouse controversy or awaken discussion upon theo- 
ries, but to tell the truth as it is in Jesus Christ. From the beginning 
to the end . we have tried to tell the story of the prophet and his writ- 
ings in a brief, simple style, to create a religious interest in the things 
of God. To the Bible student we have suggested thoughts, both in the 
story and by the side references, that will encourage study in the 
home and in the school. 

Yours in the blessed hope, 

S. N. H. 
14 



^f^^^v i ^fm-Vfrnf^y m ii !uri '' f^ > .»m -it v^i^^gif^^^!^^ , < iHfm i i^i ' ^ i w n i yu g^.^^mv^ ' ^Wj 




T ^v ■ ^p ^Y'^^'^D^y ^ ^^^J"" *" ""j 



jlANIFI 




CHAPTER I. 



DANIEL AND HIS FELLOWS TESTED. 



Although Daniel lived twenty-five hundred 
years ago, he is a latter-day prophet. His char- 
acter should be studied^ for its development 
reveals the secret of God's preparation of those 
who will welcome Christ at His appearing. His 
prophecies should be understood, for in them is 
the key which unlocks history to the end of 
time. The Saviour himself bore witness to this. 
When the disciples asked, " What shall be the 
sign of Thy coming, and of the end of the 
world?" He said, "When ye therefore shall see 
the abomination of desolation spoken of by 



Then said he, Knowest thou 

wherefore I come unto thee ? 

Dan. 10:20. 

Now I am come to make thee un- 
derstand what shall befall thy peo- 
ple in the latter days : for yet the 
vision is for many days. 

Dan. 10: 14. 

Understand, O son of man : for 
at the time of the end shall be the 
vision, Dan. 8 : 16, 17. 

Behold, I will make thee know 
what shall be in the last end of the 
indignation : for at the time ap- 
pointed the end shall be. 

Dan. 8 : 19. 

Matt. 24:3, 15. 

Luke 21 :2o. j 



Note. — In the margin are many passages of scriptures that will direct the mind of the 
reader to those portions of the Bible which give light upon the story of Daniel the prophet. 
In the texts quoted, marks of ellipsis are omitted ; and frequently several verses are cited in 
the reference, though only one or more are printed in full. 

J5 



I6 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



Consider what I say ? and the 
Lord give thee understanding in 
all things. 2 Tim. 2 : 7. 

I Cor. 10: 15. 

But thou, O Daniel, shut up the 
words, and seal the book, even to 
the time of the end : many shall 
run to and fro, and knowledge 
shall be increased. Dan. 12:4. 



He said, Go thy way, Daniel : 
for the words are closed up and 
sealed till the time of the end. 
Many shall be purified, and made 
white, and tried ; but the wicked 
shall do wickedly ; and none of the 
wicked shall understand : but the 
wise shall understand. But go thy 
way till the end be : for thou shalt 
rest, and stand in thy lot at the end 
of the days. Dan. 12 :9, 10, 13. 



Dan. 8 : 26. 
I John 2 : 27. 
Rev. 2 : 29. 



7. In the third year of the reign 
of Jehoiakim liing of Judah came 
Nebuchadnezzar liing of Babylon 
unto Jerusalem, and besieged it. 

2. And the Lord gave Jehoiakim 
king of Judah into his hand, with 
part of the vessels of the house of 
God: which he carried into the 
land of Shinar to the house of his 
god ; and he brought the vessels 
into the treasure house of his god. 
Dan. 7 ; 7, 2, 



Lam. 4 : 12. 
2 Kings 23 : 36. 
2 Kings 24 : 5. 
2 Chron. 36 : 5-7, 



Daniel the prophet . . . whoso readeth, lef him 
understand^ In this we have the divine per- 
mission to read and understand the prophecies 
of Daniel. 'These prophecies are intended, there- 
fore, to warn a people of . the coming of Christ. 

True, it was once a sealed book, for the 
prophet was told to shut up the words, and 
seal the book *'to the time of the end," ''for at 
the time of the end shall be the vision." And 
again, " The words are closed up and sealed till 
the time of the end." But the time of the end 
has come. It began in 1 798, and though '* none 
of the wicked shall understand," yet ** the wise 
shall understand!' With the book of Daniel in 
hand, and a heart open to liear the voice of God, 
man may come in toucli with the Father of 
light. "He that hath an ear, let him hear what 
the Spirit saith." 

Daniel begins the book with the simple state- 
ment that in the third year of the reign of 
Jehoiakim, king of Judah, 607 b. c, Nebuchad- 
nezzar, the king of Babylon, came unto Jerusa- 
lem and besieged it ; that in the siege, Jehoiakim 
was given by the Lord into the hands of Nebu- 
chadnezzar, but allowed to remain on the throne 
in Jerusalem, yet Nebuchadnezzar carried with 
him to Babylon, as tribute, a part of the vessels 
of the house of God, and, as hostages, some of 
the members of the royal household. 

This act, with similar ones which followed in 
swift succession, was but the culmination of 
events which began years before. In order to 
appreciate this climax, it is essential that we 
study the causes* which led to it. Since the 
captivity of Judah is an object lesson to people 
of the last generation, it is doubly necessary 



DANIEL AND HIS FELLOWS TESTED. 



17 



that we trace the relationship between certain when the Most High divided to 

the nations their inheritance, when 
he separated the sons of Adam, he 
set the bounds of the people ac- 
cording to the number of the chil- 

tion to separate themselves from other nations dren of Israel. Deut. 32 : s. 



causes and results. 

God had an object in calHng the Jewish na- 




'They came 

to hear of the mighty God 

that could heal the sick ; but 

he showed them only earthly treasure. 



of the world. It was that his people might 
stand before the world as light-bearers. As a 
beacon set on a hill, Israel was to send beams of 
light to the world. The plan of education made 



Acts 13 : 47, 48. 

Isa. 42 :6, 7. 

Isa. 49 :6. 

I Sam. ID : 5-12 ; 19 : 23, 24. 



i8 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



Also in the third year of his 
reign he sent to his princes, even to 
Ben-hail, and to Obadiah, and to 
Zechariah, and to Nethaneel, and 
to Michaiah, to teach in the cities 
of Judah. And with them he sent 
Levites, even Shemaiah, and Ne- 
thaniah, and Zebadiah, and Asahel, 
and Shemiramoth,and Jehonathan, 
and Adonijah, and Tobijah, and 
Levites : and with them Elishama 
and Jehoram, priests. And they 
taught in Judah, and had the book 
of the law of the Lord with them, 
and went about throughout all the 
cities of Judah, and taught the 
people. 2 Chron. 17 : 7-12. 

My people are destroyed for lack 
of knowledge: because thou hast 
rejected knowledge, I will also re- 
ject thee, that thou shalt be no 
priest to me : seeing thou hast for- 
gotten the law of thy God, I will 
also forget thy children. 

Hosea 4 : 6-10. 

Isa. 5 : 13. 

In those days was Hezekiah sick 

unto death. And Isaiah the prophet 
said unto him. Thus saith the Lord, 
Set thine house in order : for thou 
shalt die. Then Hezekiah prayed 
and wept sore. Then came the 
word of the Lord to Isaiah, saying. 
Go, and say to Hezekiah, I have 
heard thy prayer : behold, I will 
add unto thy days fifteen years. 
Isa. 38:1-5. 

2 Kings 20 : 1-6. 

At that time Merodach-baladan, 
king of Babylon, sent letters and a 
present to Hezekiah : for he had 
heard that he had been sick. And 
Hezekiah was glad of them, and 
showed them the house of his pre- 
cious things : there was nothing in 
all his dominion, that Hezekiah 
showed them not. Isa. 39 : i, 2. 

Behold, the days come, that all 
that is in thine house, shall be car- 
ried to Babylon : and thy sons shall 
be eunuchs in the palace of theking 
of Babylon. Isa. 39 :6, 7. 

2 Chron. 32 : 24-26. 



known to Israel through her prophets was the 
means of keeping that hght burning. When 
this God-given plan was neglected, the light, as 
a candle deprived of the life-giving oxygen, 
burned dim. Then it was that the nation was 
pressed upon all sides by the foe. There is a 
Hebrew maxim which says that ** Jerusalem was 
destroyed because the education of her children 
was neglected." The prophecies of Daniel and 
the connected history prove the truth of this 
maxim. It may be added that the Jews were 
restored to Jerusalem as the result of the proper 
education of a few Hebrew boys. 

Just about one hundred years before the days 
of Daniel, Hezekiah was king of Judah. After 
a reign of thirteen years, he was on his death- 
bed, but he pleaded with God to lengthen his 
life. This was done, and fifteen years were 
added. On the king's recovery he was visited 
by ambassadors from Babylon, to whom he 
showed all his treasures. They came to hear 
of the mighty God, that could heal the sick: 
but he showed them only earthly treasure. He 
lost the opportunity to give them of the treasure 
of heaven. Then came a message from God by 
the hand of the prophet Isaiah, saying, ** Be- 
hold, the days shall come, that all that is in 
thine house . . . shall be carried into Babylon ; 
nothing shall be left." He was also at the same 
time told that his descendants should be eunuchs 
in the palace of the king of Babylon. 

Here was portrayed the future captivity of 
the Hebrew race. The prophecy was placed on 
record, and repeated again and again by Jewish 
mothers as they taught their children. " Must 
my son be a captive in the court of a heathen 



DANIEL AND HIS FELLOWS TESTED. 



19 



king ? Then let me so train him that he will be 
true to the God of his fathers." There were 
other mothers who lightly let pass the thought, 
and the history of their sons' lives is recorded 
for our instruction. 

Three years after his life had been saved, a 
son was born to Hezekiah. Notwithstanding 
the recent prophecy, Hezekiah and his wife, 
Hephzibah, failed to teach the young Manasseh 
in the way of truth. He was but twelve years 
of age when he came to the throne, but if he 
had been trained in the fear of God, he would 
not have chosen the worship of the heathen. 

The youthful Christ at the same age settled 
not only His own destiny, but the destiny of the 
universe. When twelve years of age, standing 
by the temple in Jerusalem, His future work 
opened before Him, and He accepted His ap- 
pointed mission. Why.? Because Mary, His 
mother, had taught Him that heart service to 
God was His highest pleasure. Manasseh de- 
cided in favor of the heathen deities ; did evil 
in the sight of God ; and " for the sins of 
Manasseh " came the captivity of Judah. 

At the age of twelve years, Christ made a 
decision which saved the world ; at the same 
age Manasseh chose a course which brought ruin 
to the nation. In the training of your child 
are you Hephzibah or Mary .? 

The long reign of Manasseh passed, and the 
prophecy sent to Hezekiah was not yet fulfilled. 
Men began to wonder if it ever would come to 
pass. " Since the fathers fell asleep," said they, 
**all things continue as they were." 

It was in the days of Josiah, the grandson 
of Manasseh, that Jeremiah prophesied. Through 



For precept must be upon pre- 
cept, precept upon precept ; line 
upon line, line upon line ; here a 
little, and there a little. 

Isa. 28 : 10. 

O that thou hadst hearkened to 
my commandments ! then had thy 
peace been as a river, and thy right- 
eousness as the waves of the sea. 
Isa. 48 : 18. 

Manasseh was twelve years old 
when he began to reign, and 
reigned fifty and five years in Jeru- 
salem. And his mother" s name was 
Hephzi-bah. And he did that which 
was evil in the sight of the Lord, 
after the abominations of the 
heathen, whom the Lord cast out 
before the children of Israel. 

2 Kings 21 : 1-3. 

Even a child is known by his 
doings, whether his work be pure, 
and whether it be right. 

Prov. 20 : II. 

When he was twelve years 
old, they went up to Jerusalem 
after the custom of the feast. And 
he said unto them, How is it that ye 
sought me ? wist ye not that I must 
be about my Father's business? 
And Jesus increased in wisdom and 
stature, and in favor with God and 
man. Luke 2 : 42, 49, 52. 

2 Chron. 33 : i-io. 

The rod and reproof give wis- 
dom: but a child left to himself 
bringeth his mother to shame. 
Correct thy son, and he shall give 
thee rest ; yea, he shall give delight 
unto thy soul. Prov. 29 : 15-17. 

Gen. 18 : 19. 

2 Peter 3 13, 4. 

Jer. 1:2, 3. 

Surely as a 1" wife treacherously 
departeth from her husband, so 
have ye dealt treacherously with 
me, O house of Israel, saith the 
Lord. Jer. 3 : 20. 

Deut. 28 : 49-52. 



20 



STORY OF DANIEL, THE PROPHET. 



Lo, I will bring a nation upon 
you from afar, O house of Israel, 
saith the Lord : it is a mighty na- 
tion, it is an ancient nation, a na- 
tion whose language thou knowest 
not, neither understandest what 
they say; Jer. s : 15. 



The king commanded all the peo- 
ple, saying, Keep the passover unto 
the Lord your God, as it is written 
in the book of this covenant. 
Surely there was not holden such a 
passover from the days of t*he 
judges that judged Israel, nor in 
all the days of the kings of Israel, 
nor of the kings of Judah. More- 
over the workers with familiar 
spirits, and the wizards, and the 
images, and the idols, and all the 
abominations that were spied in the 
land of JudaK and in Jerusalem, 
did Josiah put away. And like 
unto him was there no king before 
him, that turned to the Lord with 
all his heart, and with all his soul, 
and with all his might. 

2 Kiugs 23 ; 21.25. 



1 Chron. 3 : 15,16. 

2 Chron. 36 : i-io. 
2 Kings 23 : 30-34. 



Jehoahaz was twenty and three 
years old when he began to reign ; 
and he reigned three months in 
Jerusalem. And his mother's name 
was Hamutal. And he did that 
which was evil in the sight of the 
Lord. Jehoiakim was twenty and 
five years old when he began to 
reign ; and he reigned eleven years 
in Jerusalem. And his mother's 



this prophet, God pleaded with Jerusalem to 
return to Him. ** Lo, I will bring a nation upon 
you from afar, O house of Israel, saith the 
Lord : it is a mighty nation, it is an ancient 
nation, a nation whose language thou knowest 
not." Thus was Babylon described, and Jeru- 
salem's impending doom portrayed. 

Josiah was spared the sight of the complete 
destruction of Jerusalem because of the reforms 
which he attempted. In his days there was 
kept by Judah, and by Israel also, the greatest 
Passover feast in the history of the nation. " Be- 
cause thine heart was tender and thou hast hum- 
bled thyself before the Lord, . . . behold I will 
gather thee unto thy fathers . . . and thine 
eyes shall not see all the evil which I will bring 
upon this .place." In a peculiar way God gave 
Josiah an opportunity to avert the impending 
calamity. It was not yet too late to change 
the course of events. This opportunity was 
through the gifts of his sons. Josiah had three 
sons and one grandson, who were in turn seated 
on the throne at Jerusalem. Each, because of 
wrong training in youth, refused to take God 
at His word, and failing, hastened the final 
overthrow. 

The three sons were Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, and 
Zedekiah. The grandson was Jehoiachin, who 
preceded his uncle, Zedekiah. The fate of each 
is a solemn warning to people living at the end 
of time. He who might have been the light 
of heathen nations was swallowed up by Egyp- 
tian darkness. Jehoiakim, the second, who, 
properly trained, would have been so charged 
with the power of God that the heathen king 
would either have united his forces with the 




Hebrew mother teaching her children. 



DANIEL AND HIS FELLOWS TESTED. 



21 



king of Judah, or, opposing, would have been 
smitten as by a thunder-bolt, failing, paid tribute 
to Babylon. His capital was entered. Treas- 
ures from the house of God were ruthlessly torn 
from their place and dedicated to heathen wor- 
ship. Youth — bright, promising youth — were 
taken from the royal family to serve the king of 
Babylon. Jehoiakim beheld this, but was pow- 
erless to interfere. His life was gone ; he was 
not connected with the throne of God. His 
mother and his father made a fatal mistake, for 
they did not give him the training which God 
had commanded them to give. Neither did he 
profit by these mistakes, but educated his son in 
courtly manners and in the philosophy of the 
world ; and as a result his son Jehoiachin lan- 
guished nearly thirty-seven years in a prison in 
Babylon. This was another lamp without the oil i 
another soul without the heavenly food ; another 
son improperly trained to add to the disgrace 
of Judah. ** Jerusalem was destroyed, because 
the education of her children was neglected." 

Zedekiah, the third son of Josiah, had still an 
opportunity to save Jerusalem. Part of the 
treasures of this city were already in Babylon. 
Daniel and his companions had been in the court 
seventeen or eighteen years when Jeremiah came 
to Zedekiah with the words : ** If thou wilt 
assuredly go forth unto the king of Babylon's 
princes, then thy soul shall live, and this city 
shall not be burned with fire. . . . Obey, I be- 
seech thee, the voice of the Lord which I speak 
unto thee : so it shall be well unto thee, and thy 
soul shall live." In this time of peril, how did 
Zedekiah act ? Did he deliver himself unto the 
Babylonians ? God had commanded it ; the city 



name was Zebudah. And he did 
that which was evil in the sight of 
the Lord. 2 Kings 23 13 1-37. 



Surely at the commandment ot 
the Lord came this upon Judah, to 
remove them out of his sight, for 
the sins of Manasseh, according to 
all that he did ; and also for the in- 
nocent blood that he shed. 

2 Kings 24 : 1-4. 



Jehoiachin was eighteen years 
old when he began to reign, and 
he did that which was evil in the 
sight of the Lord. 

2 Kings 24 : 8, g, 17. 



Nebuchadnezz-ir king of Babylon 
came against the citj', and his ser- 
vants did besiege it. And he car- 
ried out thence all the treasures of 
the house of the Lord, and the 
treasures of the king's house, and 
he carried away all Jerusalem, and 
all the princes, and all the mighty 
men of valor. 

2 Kings 24 : io--i6. 



Evil-merodach king of Babylon 
in the year that he began to reign 
did lift up the head of Jehoiachin 
king of Judah out of prison: and 
he spake kindly to him, and set his 
throne above the throne of the 
kings that were with him in Baby- 
lon; and changed his prison gar- 
ments: and he did eat bread con- 
tinually before him all the days of 
his life. 2 Kings 2S : 27.30. 



2 Kings 24 : 17-20. 



22 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



Zedekiah the king said unto Jere- 
miah, I am afraid of the Jews that 
are fallen to the Chaldeans, lest they 
deliver me into their hand, and 
they mock me. Jer. 38 : 17-28. 

What time I am afraid I wi^l trust 
in thee. Psa. 56 : 3. 

Hear therefore, O Israel, and ob- 
serve to do it; that it may be well 
with thee , and that we may increase 
mightily, as the Lord God of thy 
fathers hast promised thee, in the 
land that floweth with milk and 
honey. Hear, O Israel: The Lord 
our God is one Lord : and thou 
shalt love the Lord thy God with 
all thine heart, and with all thy 
soul and with all thy might. And 
these w6rds, which I command thee 
this day, shall be in thine heart : 
and thou shalt teach them dili- 
gently unto thy children, and shalt 
talk of them when thou sittest in 
thine house, and when thou walkest 
by the way, and when thou liest 
down, and when thou risest up. 
And thou shalt bind them for a 
sign upon thine hand, and they 
shall be as frontlets between thine 
eyes. And thou shall write them 
upon the posts of thy house, and 
on thy gates. 

Deut. 6 : 3-9, ^o. 

When I call to remembrance the 
unfeigned faith that is in thee, 
which dwelt first in thy grand- 
mother Lois, and thy mother 
Eunice ; and I am persuaded that 
in thee also. 2 Tim. i : $. 

Do not drink wine nor strong 
drink, thou, nor thy sons with thee, 
and that ye may put difference be- 
tween holy and unholy, and that 
ye may teach the children of Israel 
all the statutes which the Lord 
hath spoken. Lev. 10 : g-i i. 

Prov. 23 : 19-22. 

Deut. 21 : 20, 21. 

Then sang Moses and the chil- 
dren of Israel this song unto the 
Lord, and spake, saying, I will 
sing unto the Lord, for he hath 



would have been saved by it ; his own soul 
would have been saved. Zedekiah pleaded a 
most human excuse, saying, '' I am afraid." 

In these three sons is revealed the weakness, 
the cowardice, the wickedness, and the final ruin 
of those trained for the service of the world 
and not for the service of God. 

Living at the same time and in the same city 
with the princes already named, were others 
which the Scripture mentions by name. These 
were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, 
children of Judah, of the royal family — relatives 
of Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, and Zedekiah. 

At the first siege of Jerusalem, 607 b. c, 
Daniel was not over eighteen years of age ; 
about the age of the prince Zedekiah, who after- 
ward ruled in Jerusalem. Daniel had a godly 
mother who knew of the prophecy concerning 
the destruction of their city. She repeated to 
her son the words of God, that some day He- 
brew children must stand in the heathen court 
at Babylon. Carefully did this mother teach 
her son to read the parchment scrolls of the 
prophets. The history of Israel was studied; 
the story of Nadab and Abihu was told and 
retold. The effect of strong drink was im- 
pressed upon the mind. The laws of his own 
being were studied. He knew that excess in 
eating and drinking would so dull the mind that 
the voice of God could not be heard. 

,The songs which these Hebrew children sang 
told the story of God's dealings with His people. 
It was in this manner that the image of God 
was engraven on their hearts. This education 
was not gained in the schools of the time, for 
they had departed from the plan of God ; but 



DANIEL AND HIS FELLOWS TESTED. 



23 




_ ^ tear of tBe 
of wisdom, ^ 



«/>r 



holy mothers, hving dose to the everlasting 
Father, led their children by precept and exam- 
ple, by word and song, to form characters that 
would stand the test. 

It was the age when most of the young men 
in the capital of Judah were wild and reckless. 
They were excusing themselves because of their 
youth. But God chose from their midst certain 
ones whom He could trust in a foreign land. 
Daniel and his three companions were snatched 
from the shelter of home, and with others were 
placed under the charge of Ashpenaz, master 
of the eunuchs in Babylon. 

Now can be seen the results of the home 
training. Pure food, clean thoughts, and physi- 
cal exercise placed them on the list of ** chil- 
dren in whom was no blemish, but well-favored." 
But what of their intellectual ability ? They had 
not been educated in the schools of Jerusalem, 
much less in those of Babylon. Was there not 
great danger that they lacked in the sciences or 
the essential branches ? On examination, these 
four passed as " skillful in all wisdom, and cun- 
ning in knowledge, and understanding science," 




triumphed gloriously : the horse and 
his rider hath he thrown into the 
sea. The Lord is my strength and 
«ong, and he has become my salva- 
tion : he is my God, and I will pre- 
pare him a habitation ; my father's 
God, and I will exalt him. The 
Lord is a man of war : the Lord is 
his name. Ex. 15 : 1-21. 

Judges 5 : 1-3 1. 
Ps. 137 : 1-4. 
I Sam. 2 : i-io. 
Psalm 105. 

1 John 2 : 13, 14. 

2 Kings 5 : 2-4. 

The father of the righteous shall 
greatly rejoice : and he that beget- 
teth a wise child shall have joy of 
him. Thy father and thy mother 
shall be glad, and she that bare 
thee shall rejoice. 

Prov. 23 : 24, 25. 

3, And the king spake unto Ash- 
penaz the master of his eunuchs, 
that he should bring certain of the 
children of Israel, and of the 
king's seed, and of the princes ; 

4. Children in whom was no 
blemish, but well favored, and 
skilful in all wisdom, and cunning 
in knowledge, and understanding 
science, and such as had ability in 
them to stand in the king's palace, 
and whom they might teach the 
learning and the tongue of the 
Chaldeans. 



24 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



meat, and of the wine which he 
dran/{ : so nourishing them three 
years, that at the end thereof they 
might stand before the liing. 

6. Now among these were of the 
children of Judah, Daniel, Hana- 
niah, Mishael, and Azariah: 

Dan. 1 : 3-6. 




6. And the king appointed them and able to learn a difficult f orei^ lang-uag-e. 

a daily provision of the king's r^ j ^ ^ r -i^-,-, , ~r-r- . . c>fc>* 

(jrod had fulfilled His promise in these children 
of the home school. 

The crucial moment came when **the king 
appointed them a daily provision of the king's 
meat and of the wine which he drank." Daniel 
had unbounded confidence in the principles of 
temperance, not alone because he knew them 
to be scientifically . true, but because they 
were God-given, and, in his case, had 
been put into practice. His edu- 
cation had a Biblical foundation, 
and he knew that it was in har- 
mony with true science. It was 
a life and death question ; but 
the principles were divine, and 
he would obey, walk by faith, 
and leave the results with his 
Maker. "Daniel purposed in 
his heart that he would not de- 
file himself with the portion of the 
king's meat, nor with the wine 
which he drank." The language 
of the prince of the eunuchs shows 
that there were other Hebrew 
youth who were selected, who did 
not make this request: "for," said the prince 
of the eunuchs, " why should he [the king] see 
your faces worse liking than the children which 
are oi your sort?" 

Daniel and his companions, after considering 
their dangerous and difficult position, took this 
matter to the Lord in prayer, and decided to be 
true to principle. Much was involved in this 
decision. If they sat at the king's table, they 
would partake of food which had been conse- 



tcou 

vn\h iKe portion 

of the king$ meat 

nor X01& Ike 

tutne xuhtjch 

he drank-. 



Prov. 23 : 1-3. 

7. Unto whom the prince of the 
eunuchs gave names : for he gave 
unto Daniel the name of Beltes- 
hazzar ; and to Hananiah, ofSha- 
drach ; and to Mishael, of Me- 
shach; and to Azariah, of Abed - 
nego, 

8. But Daniel purposed in his 
heart that he would not defile him- 
self with the portion of the king's 
meat, nor with the wine which he 
drank : therefore he requested of 
the prince of the eunuchs that he 
might not defile himself. 



DANIEL AND HIS FELLOWS TESTED. 



25 



crated to idols ; and the Hebrew children would 
thus dishonor God, and ruin their own charac- 
ters by removing the safeguard of temperance, 
and allowing themselves to be influenced by cor- 
rupt associations. Even at the cost of appearing 
singular, they decided not to sit at the table of 
the king. They might have reasoned that at the 
king's command they were compelled to partake 
of the food at the royal table which had been 
dedicated to an idol. But they determined not 
to implicate themselves with heathenism, and 
not to dishonor the principles of their national 
religion and their God. Surrounded by perils, 
after having made a most determined effort to 
resist temptation, they must trust the results 
with God. 

With true courage and Christian courtesy, 
Daniel said to the officers who had charge over 
them : " Prove thy servants, I beseech thee, ten 
days ; and let them give us pulse to eat, and 
water to drink. Then let our countenances- be 
looked upon before thee, and the countenances 
of the children that eat the portion of the king's 
meat ; and, as thou seest, deal with thy servants." 
It was no experiment with them ; for they fore- 
saw the result. 

The officer hesitated. He feared that the rigid 
abstinence they proposed would have an unfavor- 
able effect upon their personal appearance, and 
that, in consequence, they would lose favor with 
the king. The Hebrew children explained to 
the officer the effect of food upon the body ; 
that overeating and the use of rich foods be- 
numbs the sensibilities, unfitting mind and body 
for hard, stern labor. They urged most ear- 
nestly that they be allowed the simple diet, and 



9. Now God had brought Daniel 
into fauor and tender love with 
the prince of the eunuchs. 

Dan. 1:7-9. 

« 

Wine is a mocker, strong drink is 
raging : and whosoever is deceived 
thereby is not wise. Prov. 20 : i. 

10. And the prince of the 
eunuchs said unto Daniel, I fear 
my lord the king, who hath ap- 
pointed your meat and your drink : 
for why should he see your faces 
worse liking than the children 
which are of your sort ? then shall 
ye make me endanger my head to 
the king. 

11. Then said Daniel to Melzar, 
whom the prince of the eunuchs 
had set ouer Daniel, Hananiah, 
Mishael, and Azariah, 

Dan. 1 :10, 11. 

Commit thy way unto the Lord : 
trust also in him ; and he shall 
bring it to pass. Ps. 37 : 5, 6. 

Who hath woe ? who hath sorrow? 
who hath contentions ? who hath 
babbling ? who hath wounds with- 
out cause ? who hath redness of 
eyes ? They that tarry long at the 
wine : they that go to seek mixed 
wine. Prov. 23 : 29-32. 

It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it 
is not for kings to drink wine ; nor 
for princes strong drink : lest they 
drink and forget the law, and per- 
vert the judgment of any of the 
afflicted. Prov. 31 .'4, 5. 

Isa. 5 : II. 

My son, keep thy father's com- 
mandment, and forsake not the law 
of thy mother. When thou goest, 
it shall lead thee ; when thou sleep- 
est, it shall keep thee ; and when 
thou awakest, it shall talk with 
thee. Prov. 6 : 20-23. 

12. Prove thy servants, I be- 
seech thee, ten days ; and let them 
give us pulse to eat, and water to 
drink. 

13. Then let our countenances be 
looked upon before thee, and the 
countenance of the children that 



26 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



eat of the portion of the king's 
meat : and as thou seest, deal with 
thy servants. 

14. So he consented to them in 
this matter, and proved them ten 
days. Dan. 1 : 12-1 4. 

Hear, O my son, and receive my 
sayings ; and the years of thy life 
shall be many. Prov. 4 : 10-12. 

The wrath of a king is as mes- 
sengers of death. Prov, 16 : 14. 

Com shall make the young men 
cheerful. Zech. 9:17. 



Wherefore do you spend money 
for that which is not bread? and 
your labor for that which satisfteth 
not ? hearken dilgently unto me, and 
eat ye that which is good, and let 
your soul delight itself in fatness. 
Isa. 55:2. 



15. And at the end of ten days 
their countenances appeared fairer 
and fatter in flesh than ail the 
children which did eat the portion 
of the fiing's meat. 

16. Thus Melzar took away the 
portion of their meat, and the 
wine that they should drinli ; and 
gave them pulse. 

Dan. 1 : 16, 16. 

Ps. 42 : II. 
Isa. 58:8. 

Beloved, I wish above all things 
that thou mayst prosper and be in 
health, even as thy soul prospereth. 
3 John I : 2. 

Dan. ID :3. 

Though Noah, Daniel, and Job 
were in it, as I live, saith the Lord 
God, they shall deliver neither son 
nor daughter : they shall but de- 
liver their own souls by their right- 
eousness. Eze. 14 : 20. 

Eze. 14 : 14-20. 



begged that they be given a ten-days' trial, that 
they might demonstrate by their own physical 
appearance at the end of that time the advan- 
tages of plain, nutritious food. The request was 
granted : for they had obtained favor with God 
and with men. It was an act of faith ; there 
was no feeling of envy toward those who were 
eating of the king's meat. The minds of the 
four were filled with thoughts of love and peace, 
and they actually grew during those ten days. 

God approved of their course ; for, '* at the 
end of ten days, their countenances appeared 
fairer and fatter in flesh than all the children 
which did eat the portion of the king's meat." 
The clear sparkle of the eye, the ruddy, healthy 
glow of the countenance, bespoke physical sound- 
ness and moral purity. The Hebrew captives 
were thereafter allowed to have their chosen 
food. 

The pulse and water which they then desired 
was not always the exclusive diet of Daniel, 
for on another occasion in his later life he said: 
** I ate no pleasant bread, neither came flesh 
nor wine in my mouth." But when entering 
upon the king's course of study and becoming 
connected with the royal court, he and his breth- 
ren voluntarily chose this simple, nourishing 
food. Likewise, when brought face to face 
with any difficult problem, or when desiring 
especially to know the mind of God, the record 
speaks of Daniel's abstinence from flesh food, 
wine, and food which tempt the appetite. 

The character of Daniel is referred to by 
Ezekiel, who was a contemporaneous prophet, as 
representing those who will live just before the 
second coming of Christ. People will be called 




The two tables. 



DANIEL AND HIS FELLOWS TESTED. 



27 



to pass through experiences which require the 
keenest spiritual eyesight ; therefore God asks 
them to give up all things which will in any way 
check the flow of the Holy Spirit through the 
mind. Herein lies the reason for strict adher- 
ence to the principles of health reform. Daniel 
and his companions gained the victory on the 
point of appetite. This was the avenue, and 
the only one, through which Satan was permit- 
ted to tempt Adam ; and, had Adam proved 
true in the garden of Eden, and not eaten of 
the forbidden fruit, sin and suffering would 
never have been known. Appetite was the open 
door through which came all the results of sin, 
which, for six thousand years, have been so 
manifest in the human family. 

As Christ entered upon the work of His min- 
istry. He began where Adam fell, The first 
temptation in the wilderness was on the point 
of appetite. Here the Saviour bridged the gulf 
which sin had made. He redeemed the whole 
family of Adam, and wrought out a victory for 
the benefit of all who are thus tempted. In the 
last days God will prove His people as He proved 
Daniel. A voluntary self-control of appetite 
lies at the foundation of every reform, 

It means much to be true to God. It em- 
braces health reform. It means that the diet 
must be simple ; it calls for the exercise of tem- 
perance in all things. Too great a variety of 
food taken at the same meal is highly injurious ; 
and yet, how often this is forgotten. Mind and 
body are to be preserved in the best condi- 
tion of health. Only those who have been 
trained in the fear and knowledge of God, and 
who are true to principle, are fitted to bear re- 



Take heed to yourselves, lest at 
any time your hearts be overcharged 
with surfeiting, and drunkenness, 
and cares of this life, and that day 
come upon you unawares. 

Luke 21 :34. 

Behold this was the iniquity of 
thy sister Sodom, pride, fullness of 
bread, and abundance of idleness 
was in her and in her daughters, 
neither did she strengthen the hand 
of the poor and needy. 

Eze. 16 : 4g. 

The Lord God commanded the 
man, saying, Of every tree of the 
garden thou mayest freely eat : but 
of the tree of the knowledge of 
good and evil, thou shalt not eat of 
it : for in the day that thou eatest 
thereof thou shalt surely die. 

Gen. 2 : 16, 17. 

Gen. 3:17. 

Then was Jesus led up of the 
Spirit into the wilderness to be 
tempted of the devil. And when he 
had fasted forty days and forty 
nights, he was afterward an hun- 
gered. And when the tempter came 
to him, he said, If thou be the Son 
of God, command that these stones 
be made bread. But he answered 
and said. It is written, Man shall 
not live by bread alone, but by 
every word that proceedeth out of 
the mouth of God. Matt. 4 : 1-4. 

Prov. 16 : 32. 

Every man that striveth for the 
mastery is temperate in all things. 
I Cor. 9 : 25. 

Variety of food at one meal in 
Bible times. 

Gen. 18 : 5-8. 
Gen. 19 : 3. 
Gen. 25 :34. 
Ruth 2 : 14. 
I Sam. 30 : 11, 12. 
I Kings 17 : 13-16. 

1 Kings 19 :s, 6. 

2 Kings 4 : 42-44. 
Matt. 14 : 18-29. 
John 21 : 9, 12. 



28 



STORY OF DANIEL, THE PROPHET. 



17. As for these four children, 
God gave them knowledge and skill 
in all learning and wisdom ; and 
Daniel had understanding in all 
visions and dreams. Dan. 1:17. 

My son, if thou wilt receive my 
words, and hide my commandments 
with thee : yea, if thou criest after 
knowledge, and liftest up thy voice 
for understanding ; if thou seekest 
her as silver, and searchest for her 
as for hid treasures ; then shalt thou 
understand the fear of the Lord, 
and find the knowledge of God. 
Prov. 2 : 1-5. 



sponsibilities in the dosing work of the gospel. 

Daniel and his companions passed through a 
strange school in which to become fitted for 
lives of sobriety, industry, and faithfulness. Sur- 
rounded with courtly grandeur, hypocrisy, and 
paganism, they exercised self-denial, and sought 
to acquit themselves so creditably that the 
Israelites, their down-trodden people, might be 
honored, and that God's name might be glorified. 

These children had the Lord as their educator. 







But ye have an unction from the 
Holy One, and ye know all things. 
But the anointing which ye have 
received of him abideth in you, and 
ye need not that any man teach 
you : but as the same anointing 
teacheth you of all things, and is 
truth, and is no lie, and even as it 
kath taught you, ye shall abide in 
kim. I John 2 :2o, 27. 



Howbeit when he, the Spirit of 
truth, is come, he will guide you 
into all truth : for he shall not 
speak of himself ; but whatsoever 
he shall hear, that shall he speak : 
and he will show you things to 
come. John 16 : 13. 



very tnan that ^rtveth for 
Ptli]^ mastery is tetrtperate 
in all thin oa^. 

^ t Cor 9:25 

They were connected with the Fountainhead of 
wisdom, by the golden channel, the Holy Spirit. 
They kept continually a living connection with 
God, walking with Him as did Enoch. They 
were determined to gain a true education ; and, 
in consequence of their copartnership with the 
divine nature, they became in every sense com- 
plete men in Christ Jesus. While diligently 
applying themselves to gain a knowledge of the 
languages and sciences, they also received light 
direct from Heaven's throne, and read God's 
mysteries for future ages. 

When at the end of three years. King Nebu- 
chadnezzar tested the ability and acquirements 
of the royal princes whom he had been educating 
from other nations, none were found equal to the 
Hebrew youth, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and 



DANIEL AND HIS FELLOWS TESTED. 



29 



Azariah. They surpassed their associates ten- 
fold in their keen apprehension, their choice and 
correct language, and their extensive and varied 
knowledge. The vigor and strength of their 
mental powers were unimpaired. Hence they 
stood before the king. *' And in all matters of 
wisdom and understanding, that the king in- 
quired of them, he found them ten times better 
than all the magicians and astrologers that were 
in all his realm." 

These youth respected their own manhood, 
and their intrusted talents had not been en- 
feebled or perverted by indulgence of appetite. 
The good they wished to accomplish was ever 
in mind. They were faithful in the little things. 
God honored them ; for they honored Him. God 
always honors adherence to principle. Among 
all the most promising youth gathered from the 
lands subdued by Nebuchadnezzar, the Hebrew 
captives stood unrivaled. Their regard for na- 
ture's laws and the God of nature was revealed 
in the erect form, the elastic step, the fair coun- 
tenance, the untainted breath, the undimmeid 
senses. It was not by chance that they attained 
to their marvelous wisdom. "The fear of the 
Lord is the beginning of wisdom." The foun- 
dation of the highest education is religious prin- 
ciple. Faith had been developed in childhood ; 
and when these youth had to act for themselves, 
they depended upon God for strength and effi- 
ciency in their labors, and they were richly 
rewarded. 

Where are the parents who to-day are teach- 
ing their children to control appetite, and to 
look to God as the Source of all wisdom 1 Our 
youth are daily meeting allurements to gratify 



78. Now at the end of the days 
that the king had said he should 
bring them in, then the prince of 
the eunuchs brought them in be- 
fore Nebuchadnezzar. 

19. And the iiing communed with 
them; and among them ail was 
found none like Daniel, Hananiah, 
Mishael , and Azariah : therefore 
stood they before the king. 

20. And in all matters of wis- 
dom and understanding, that the 
king inquired of them, he found 
them ten times better than ail the 
magicians and astrologers that 
were in alt his realm. 

Dan. 1 : 18-20. 



Understanding is a wellspring of 
life unto him that hath it. 

Prov. i6 : 22, 



I Sam. 2 : 30. 



When wisdom entereth into thine 
heart, and knowledge is pleasant 
unto thy soul ; discretion shall pre- 
serve thee, understanding shall keep 
thee : to deliver thee from the way 
of the evil man, from the man that 
speaketh froward things. 

Prov. 2 : 10-12. 



Prov. 13 : 15. 
Luke 16 : 10. 



The fear of the Lord is the be- 
ginning of wisdom : a good under- 
standing have all they that do his 
commandments: his praise endur- 
eih forever. Ps. iii : 10. 



And unto man he said, Behold, 
the fear of the Lord, that is wis- 
dom ; and to depart from evil is un- 
derstanding. Job 28 : 28. 



30 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



Thou through thy commandments 
hast made me wiser than mine ene- 
mies : for they are ever with me. 
I have more understanding than all 
my teachers : for thy testimonies 
are my meditation. 

Ps. iig : 98-101. 



Let us hear the conclusion of the 
whole matter : Fear God, and keep 
his commandments : for this is the 
whole duty of man. Eccl. 12 : 13. 



Train up a child in the way he 
should go : and when he is old, he 
will not depart from it. 

Prov. 22 : 6. 



They that understand among the 
people shall instruct many. 

Dan. II :33. 



Seest thou a man diligent in his 
business? he shall stand before 
kings ; he shall not stand before 
mean men. Prov. 22 : 29. 



But sanctify the Lord God in your 
hearts : and be ready always to give 
an answer to every man that ask- 
eth you a reason of the hope that is 
in you, with meekness and fear. 
I Peter 3 : 15. 



21. And Daniel continued even 
unto the first year of King Cyrus. 
Dan. 1 :21. 



That saith of Cyrus, He is my 
shepherd, and shall perform all my 
pleasure : even saying to Jerusa- 
lem, Thou shalt be built ; and to 
the temple, Thy foundation shall 
be laid. Isa. 44 : 28. 



Isa. 45 : I, 2. 



appetite. Every form of indulgence is made 
easy and inviting, especially in our large cities. 
Those who steadfastly refuse to defile them- 
selves will be rewarded as was Daniel. The 
youth of today may bear a weighty testimony in 
favor of true temperance. 

These principles, cherished, would fit young 
men who are rooted and grounded in the Scrip- 
tures, to enter worldly universities, and while 
taking a course of study, disseminate the truths 
of the gospel, and at the end of their course, 
come forth unsullied. There were consecrated 
youth among the Waldenses who entered worldly 
universities, and, while gaining their education, 
scattered the- seeds of the Reformation. The 
papal authorities could not, by the most careful 
inquiries, find out who had introduced the so- 
called heresy ; and yet the work had been 
accomplished, bearing fruit in the conversion of 
many who became leaders in the cause of Pro- 
testantism. Were these principles practiced, 
more young persons could be trusted as mis- 
sionaries in responsible positions and in institu- 
tions of learning. Many will yet be called to 
stand before judges and kings. How are the 
children being educated .? 

The last words of the first chapter of Daniel 
are truly significant : " Daniel continued even 
unto the first year of King Cyrus." In other 
words, Daniel lived all the days of the Babylon- 
ian captivity, — over seventy years, — and had the 
pleasure of meeting that Cyrus whose name the 
prophet Isaiah had mentioned nearly two hun- 
dred years before he issued his wonderful de- 
. cree for the deliverance of God's people. 











:»- , 


v--:'"'^;-:-:"^' ---^.iasi-^ , 


.T!!^!JT^ 


'*" '^^^-- '" 




?«j 


^^.,;^^^ ;..;:.:. ^_ 



CHAPTER IL 



A CONTROVERSY BETWEEN TRUTH AND ERROR. 



" In the second year of Nebuchadnezzar, 
Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams," It is thus 
that we are introduced to the monarch of the 
greatest of earthly kingdoms in his own home. 
In chapter one, Nebuchadnezzar is referred to 
as the one who besieged Jerusalem ; in chapter 
two he is spoken of as the ruler of every nation 
on earth. The kingdom which Nebuchadnezzar 
brought to the height of its glory can be traced 
in Bible history to its foundation. The history 
of Babylon is the story of the great controversy 
between Christ and Satan, begun in heaven, con- 
tinued on earth, and which will end only when 
the stone cut out from the mountain without 
hands shall fill the whole earth. 

Satan's accusation against God is that the 
Father is unjust. " But give me a fair chance,'* 
argued Lucifer, "and I can establish a king- 
dom on earth which will excel in glory the king- 
dom of God in heaven." He was granted the 
privilege of making a trial. The plains of Shinar 
were chosen ; the people whom God told to fill 
the whole earth were gathered into a city, Baby- 



7. And in the second year of the 
reign of Nebuchadnezzar Nebuch- 
adnezzar dreamed dreams, where- 
with his spirit was troubled, and 
his steep bralte from him. 

Dan. 2 : 1. 



Dan. I : i. 
Dan. 2 : 37, 38. 
Jer, 27 :6-ii. 

And Cush begat Nirnrod : he be- 
gan to be a mighty one in the eartli. 
He was a mighty hunter before the 
Lord : wherefore it is said. Even 
as Nimrod, the mighty hunter be- 
fore the Lord. And the beginning 
of his kingdom was Babylon, and 
Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in 
the land of Shinar. 

Gen. 10 : 8-10 [margin]. 

Gen, 11:9. 
Isa. 14 : 12-14. 



They said, Go to, let us build us 
a city and a tower, whose top may. 
reach unto heaven ; and let us make 
us a name, lest we be scattered 
abroad upon the face of the whole 
earth. Therefore is the name of it 
called Babel. Gen. 11 : i-g. 

31 



32 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



Behold the land of the Chal- 
deans ; this people was not, till the 
Assyrian founded it for them that 
dwell in the wilderness: they set up 
the towers thereof, they raised up 
the palaces thereof : and he brought 
it to ruin. Isa. 23 : 13. 

Jer. 50 : 58. 

Now there was a day when the 
sons of God came to present them- 
selves before the Lord, and Satan 
came also among them. And the 
Lord said unto Satan, Whence 




comest thou ? Then Satan answered 
the Lord, and said. From going to 
and fro in the earth, and from walk- 
ing up and down in it. 

Job I ;6, 7. 

Job 2:1,2. 

2 Chron. 18 : 18. 

The Lord said unto him, Where- 
with ? And he said, I will go forth, 
and I will be a lying spirit in the 
mouth of all his prophets. 

I Kings 22 : 18-23. 

Rev. 22 : 1, 2. 

He who smote the people in 
wrath with a continual stroke, he 
that ruled the nations in anger, is 
persecuted, and none hindereth. 
Isa. 14:3-7- 



Ion grew, and its mighty walls, three hundred 
and fifty feet in height and eighty-seven feet 
thick, with the massive gates of brass, were de- 
signed to imitate the strength of the city of God. 
At the time of the founding of Babylon, Satan 
was still meeting with the council of the repre- 
sentatives of worlds, which was held at the gates 
of heaven. It was his design to counterfeit the 
plans of God. The earthly city was patterned 
after the heavenly. The Euphrates flowed 
through it as did the river of God 
through Paradise. The government was 
an absolute monarchy ; a man occupied 
the throne, and as it grew, every knee of 
earth was caused to bow to its king. No 
power was tolerated above that of the 
monarch. Tyranny took the place of love. 
This is always true when man is exalted 
above God. It was to such a kingdom 
that Nebuchadnezzar fell heir, and the 
beauty and power of the kingdom were 
increased by him in every possible way, 
until it was spoken of by the Lord as " Baby- 
lon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the 
Chaldees' excellency." 

Not only the power, but the wisdom also, of 
Nebuchadnezzar was exceedingly great. The 
king favored education, and during his reign 
Babylon was the educational center of the world. 
Every art and science was taught in the schools 
of Babylon. The wisdom of the ancients was 
made known to the students who sat at the 
feet of her magicians and wise men. They rev- 
eled in the study of astronomy and the higher 
mathematics. There were linguists who could 
teach the language of every nation. 



A CONTROVERSY BETWEEN TRUTH AND ERROR. 33 



The king himself was highly educated, for it 
was he who examined the students on the com- 
pletion of their course. Babylon was proud 
of her educational system ; she trusted to 
it for salvation, but it was the cause 
of her ruin. **Thy wisdom and thy knowl- 
edge^ it hath caused thee to turn away." 
God Himself speaks, saying: *' Hath not God 
made foolish the wisdom of this world ? " In 
the Babylonian court this was exemplified. Nebu- 
chadnezzar and his counselors, — the wise men, 
astrologers, and soothsayers, — on one side, rep- 
resented the education of the world, Daniel, a 
youth, not over twenty-one years of age, a He- 
brew and a slave, was chosen by God to con- 
found the wisdom of the mighty. 

The Scriptures give the story in language that 
can be readily understood. But why did God 
give Nebuchadnezzar a dream t How could the 
God of heaven reveal truth to this heathen king .? 
Doubtless He could not during his waking' mo- 
ments ; but Nebuchadnezzar had contemplated 
the glory of his kingdom, and fell asleep with a 
longin>g desire to know its future. He knew 
that life was short. Soon he must die ; what 
would the future be .? It was God's opportunity, 
and while those eyes were closed to earthly 
things ; while self was lost — dead, as it were — 
the future history of the world was spread before 
Nebuchadnezzar. On awaking, he found no 
language to express his thoughts. He who was 
acquainted with the world's wisdom knew not 
the language of heaven. This he had never 
been taught. He tried to think what he had 
seen, but as his eyes again rested on the glory 
about him, the vision faded away. Earthly 



Behold I am against thee, O de- 
stroying mountain, saith the Lord, 
which destroyeth all the earth : and 
I will stretch out mine hand upon 
thee, and roll thee down from the 
rocks, and will make thee a burnt 
mountain. Jer. 51:25. 

Isa. 13 : ig. 

Thy wisdom and thy knowledge, 
it hath perverted thee ; and thou 
hast said in thine heart, I am, and 
none else beside me. Isa. 47 : 10. 

In all matters of wisdom and un- 
derstanding, that the king inquired 
of them, he found them ten times 
better than all the magicians and 
astrologers that were in all his 
realm. Dan. i : 17-20. 

Thou art wearied in the multi- 
tude of thy counsels. Let now the 
astrologers, the stargazers, the 
monthly prognosticators, stand up, 
and save thee from these things 
that shall come upon thee. They 
shall not deliver themselves from 
the power of the flame. 

Isa. 47 : 13, 14. 

Where is the wise ? where is the 
scribe ? where is the disputer of this 
world? hath not God made foolish 
the wisdom of this world? For 
after that in the wisdom of God the 
world by wisdom knew not God, it 
pleased God by the foolishness of 
preaching to save them that believe. 
But we preach Christ crucified, unto 
the Jews a stumbling-block, and 
unto the Greeks foolishness ; But 
unto them which are called, both 
Jews and Greeks, Christ the power 
of God, and the wisdom of God. 
Because the foolishness of God is 
wiser than men ; and the weakness 
of God is stronger than men. 

I Cor. I : 19-25. 

Yea ; have ye never read, Out of 
the mouth of babes and sucklings 
thou has perfected praise ? 

Matt. 21 : x6. 



34 



STORY OF DANIEL, THE PROPHET. 



2. Then the king commanded to 
call the magicians, and the astrol- 
ogers, and the sorcerers, and the 
Chaldeans, for to show the king 
his dreams. So they came and 
stood before the king. 

3. And the king said unto them, 
I haue dreamed a dream, and my 
spirit was troubled to know the 
dream. 

4. Then spake the Chaldeans to 
the king in Syriack, king, Hue 
forever: tell thy servants the 
dream, and we will show the in- 
terpretation. Dan. 2 : 2-4. 

For what is your life ? It is even 
a vapor, that appeareth for a little 
time, and then vanisheth away. 

James 4 : 14. 

Why dost thou strive against 
him ? for he giveth not account of 
any of his matters. For God speak- 
eth once, yea twice, yet man per- 
ceiveth it not. In a dream, in a 
vision of the night, when deep 
sleep falleth upon men, in slumber- 
ings upon the bed ; then he open- 
eth the ears of men, and sealeth 
their instruction, that he may with- 
draw man from his purpose, and 
hide pride from man. 

Job 33 : 13-17. 

O the depth of the riches both of 
the wisdom and knowledge of God ! 
how unsearchable are his judg- 
ments, and his ways past finding 
out I Rom. II :33, 

5. The king answered and said 
to the Chaldeans, The thing is gone 
from me : If ye will not make 
known unto me the dream, with 
Ihe interpretation thereof, ye shall 
be cut in pijces, and your houses 
shall be made a dunghill. 

6. But if ye show the dream, 
and the interpretation thereof, ye 
shall receive of me gifts and re- 
wards and great honor : therefore 
show me the dream, and the inter- 
pretation thereof. 

7. They answered again and 
said. Let the king tell his servants 
the dream, and we will show the 
interpretation of it. 



things drew a veil over the things of God, and 
while he knew he had seen something, he knew 
not what it was. . 

The king demanded an interpretation, but the 
wisest men of the kingdom answered : " There 
is not a man upon the earth that can show the 
king's matter. . . . There is none other that can 
show it before the king, except the gods, whose 
dwelling is not with flesh." That the pretended 
knowledge of the wise men of Babylon might be 
exposed, the Lord had in His providence given 
Nebuchadnezzar this dream, and then allowed 
him to forget the details, while causing him to 
retain a vivid impression of the vision. The 
king was angered because the wise men re- 
quested him to tell them the dream, saying, 
'' I know of certainty that ye would gain the time, 
because ye see the thing has gone from me." 
That is, they would be able to agree on some 
interpretation if the king could tell the dream. 
The king then threatened that if they failed to 
tell the dream, they should all be destroyed. The 
wise men urged that the requirement was most 
unreasonable; but the more they argued, the 
more furious the king became, and in his anger 
he finally *' commanded to destroy all the wise 
men of Babylon." 

This decree was made in the second year of 
Nebuchadnezzar's reign. He had ruled two 
years conjointly with his father, Nabopolassar, 
and two years alone ; so Daniel and his fellows 
were serving their first year as wise men in 
the court of Babylon, having finished their three- 
years' course in the schools. They were there- 
fore sought out by Arioch, the king's captain, 
to be slain. Daniel asked : *' Why is the decree 



A CONTROVERSY BETWEEN TRUTH AND ERROR. 35 



so hasty from the king?" Then Arioch made 
the thing known to Daniel. Daniel alone had 
the courage to venture into the presence of the 
king, at the peril of his life, to beg that he might 
be granted time to show the dream and the in- 
terpretation. The request was granted. 

''There are in the providence of God 
particular periods when we must arise in re- 
sponse to the call of God." 
The supreme moment had 
come to Daniel. For this 
very moment God had been 
giving him a preparation. 
From his birth every de- 
tail of his life had been 

s 

pointing forward to this 

knew it 

education 

this mo- 

stared 

he could 



8. The king qnswered and said, I 
know of certainty that ye would 
gain the time, because ye see the 
thing is gone from me. 

9, But if ye will not malte itnown 
unto me the dream, there is but 
one decree for you : for ye have 
prepared lying and corrupt words 
to speali before me, till the time 
be changed : therefore tell me the 
dream, and I shall know that ye 
can show me the interpretation 
thereof. Dan. 2:6-9. 



time, although he 
not. His early 
was such that at 
ment when death 
him in the face, 
look up to God and claim 
His promise. Although 
Daniel when examined by 
Nebuchadnezzar had been 
accounted ten times 
wiser than his fellow 
students, he had not 
as yet been classed with 
the astrologers and wise 
men of Chaldea. Probably his youth and inex- 
perience delayed such recognition. But God 
chooses the weak things of earth to confound 
the mighty, because the foolishness of God is 
wiser than men. 

Four Hebrew youth bowed in prayer, and that 




Pour Hebrew Youth Bowed in Prayer. 



But the natural man receive th not 
the things of the Spirit of God : for 
they are foolishness unto him : nei- 
ther can he know them, because 
they are spiritually discerned. But 
he that is spiritual judgeth all 
things, yet he himself is judged of 
no man. i Cor. 2 : 14, 15. 



36 



STORY OF DANIEL, THE PROPHET. 



10. The Chaldeans answered be- 
fore the king, and said, There is 
not a man upon the earth that can 
show the king's matter : therefore 
there is no liing, lord, nor ruler, 
that asked such things at any 
magician, or astrologer, or Chal- 
dean, 

11. And it is a rare thing that 
the king requireth, and there is 
none other that can show it before 
the king, except the gods, whose 
dwelling is not with flesh. 

12. For this cause the king was 
angry and uery furious, and com. 
manded to destroy all the wise 
men of Babylon. 

13. And the decree went forth 
that the wise men should be slain ; 
and they sought Daniel and his 
fellows to be slain. 

14. Then Daniel answered with 
counsel and wisdom to Arloch the 
captain of the king's guard, which 
was gone forth to slay the wise 
men of Babylon : 

15. He answered and said to 
Arioch the king's captain. Why Is 
the decree so hasty from the king? 
Then Arloch made the thing known 
to Daniel. 

16. Then Daniel went in and de- 
sired of the king that he would 
give him time, and that he would 
show the king the Interpretation. 

Dan. 2:10-16. 

Be not afraid of sudden fear, nei- 
ther of the desolation of the wicked 
when it cometh. For the Lord 
shall be thy confidence. 

Prov. 3 :2S, 26. 

17. Then Daniel went to his 
house, and make the thing known 
to Hananiah, Mlshael, and Azarlah, 
his companions ; 

18. That they would desire mer- 
cies of the God of heaven concern- 
ing this secret; that Daniel and 
his fellows should not perish with 
the rest of the wise men of Baby- 
lon. Dan. 2 : 17, 18. 

Let no man despise thy youth ; 
but be thou an example of the be- 
lievers, in word, in conversation, in 
charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity. 
I Tim. 4 : 12. 



night ''was the secret revealed unto Daniel.'* 
How could God talk with Daniel ? — Because the 
Spirit of the Lord is with them that fear Him. 
Daniel's education had acquainted him with the 
voice of God. He was in the habit of seeing 
eternal things with the eye of faith. God showed 
Daniel the same things which He had revealed 
to Nebuchadnezzar, but which were hidden from 
him by the glamour of worldliness. 

The song of praise which fose from the lips 
of Daniel when the vision came, shows -how self- 
forgetful he was, and how close his heart was 
knit to the heart of God. 

The schools of Babylon developed pride, love 
of pleasure, haughtiness, and self-esteem. They 
fostered an aristocracy, and cultivated the spirit 
of oppression and slavery. Contrast with this 
the native simplicity, the courtesy, gentleness, 
and self-forgetfulness of the child of God as he 
enters the court and is introduced by Arioch. 

Years before this, when Egypt was the edu- 
cational center of the world, God taught Egyp- 
tian senators by the mouth of Joseph, a boy no 
older than Daniel. When Babylon had outgrown 
the counsels of Heaven, another Hebrew meets 
the men of the schools. " Can not the wise men 
show the secret unto the king } " 

Before Daniel was the king in his glory ; 
around him stood the very teachers with whom 
he had studied three years. At this time were 
exemplified the words of the psalmist : " I have 
more understanding than all my teachei^s ; for 
Thy testimonies are my meditation. I under- 
stand more than the ancients, because I keep 
Thy precepts." 

Nebuchadnezzar was careworn from loss of 



A CONTROVERSY BETWEEN TRUTH AND ERROR. 37 



sleep, and in great anxiety because the dream 19. Then was the secret revealed 

,,,,. i-T-\'i 1 • wfo Daniel in a night vision. 

troubled him ; but Daniel was calm, conscious j^^„ p„„,-^, f,,^,^^^ ^f,^ q^^ ^^ 

of his connection with God, the King of kings, ^^awew. 

20. Daniel answered and said, 

Daniel now had opportunity to exalt his own Blessed be the name of God for 

wisdom, but he chose rather to give all the glory ^7;^/;/^ ^7;;-' ^^^ '"'''''" «"" 

to God. He plainly told the king that it 21. And he changeth the times 

, , , - 1 ^1 *"'<' *^* seasons : he removeth 

was beyond the power of man to reveal the kings, and setteth up kings.- he 

dream or give the interpretation ; "but there is f'"^** ""■*^°'" ""*° *''« «"'^^' «"'' 

*^ ^ knowledge to them that know un- 

a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and derstanding.- 

■i ,1 1 22. He revealeth the deep and 

maKietn known ^^^^^Mf^^K^^C^^"^^ «^'"'«* **'"?« • ^« i<"owest what is 

to the king ^ft^^^^PS^^^^^' '^-i '" ^^^ darkness, and the light 

N e buchadnez- iS^^^^^^'^'~^^^'^^^^J&:> ^^' ' *^""* *''®^' '""' ^'"'^^ 

7Pr what qhall ^'"^'^ *^^^^^^^h/' ^^^^1^5* thee, thou God of my fathers. 
- V- \\\^-^^^^^»°-'^J^i=r!=Xzr:<i^^ "'"° "'*** given me wisdom and 

be in the latter '' ~ *^« f^^^^ ^^~"^^^^^ ^., might, and hast made known 
T ,, ' ^' '^^■'^^^^^^^^''^^^1:^1*^ * 1^n\ 9 unto me now what we desired of 

a ays. 1 ne . ^ ^^'^^^^cT ^^JT ■^.l^T^.^^.^^^S^S^ thee : for thou hast now made 

Vi-r,o-'o ^ir^A ' ^^W/ti iltSU \XintWtU\\ known unto usthe king's matter. 

kings mmd . -g^J^ tMt rev0ale&\\ Dan. 2:19-23. 

was directed, to ^^\Myl^^gA-^-^t^'^^\*-'iyk^ <^-rvH \ The secret of the Lord is with 

r~"^J -1 £w^^ \^ t^-sj'V^xy T tT t I tnem that fear him: and he will 

God alone. / ^^^^_^.tnak^m mtOtUtt show them his covenant. 

In one night ^^^^feo tTx^ IviTlg ^^- ^s = "-^4. 

God revealed ^4^^^1cbticBadnezzar ^^^*f ^ ^" ^^^ ^°'-^' "^/'/'fj" 

«r^%:^Si\ ~ t J 1" TT T eous : for praise is comely for the 

the history of k'^f^ymAXShM. DC upright. Ps.ssrx. 

over twentv H -l/»!\itl tlie lattet 24. Therefore Daniel went In 

KJ \ ^ I uwciiLj/ ''^''~^f\j%\ dmi-g ""**' '''■'oc/', whom the king had 

five h U n dred ^ ^ ^^^^ DaTll*28 ordained to destroy the wise men 

^^^l::^;;; ---, * 0/ Babylon : he went and said thus 

years, and what unto him .- Destroy not the wise 

the human historian requires volumes to ex- rnen of Babylon .-bring me in be. 

^ fore the king, and I will show unto 

plain .is given in fifteen verses. The Scrip- the king the interpretation. 

. t • .^ 1 1 ' T • 1 25. Then Arioch brought in Dan- 

tures explain themselves, and m divme records .-ei before the king m haste, and 

every word is well chosen and put in the proper ^"''^ *''"* ""*° ^''"' ' ^°"^ f°""'* 

a man of the captives of Judah, 

setting. fhat will make known unto the 

In the image revealed to Nebuchadnezzar, the '''"^^'" '"'""''""' Dan"'2: 24. 25. 
glory of the Babylonian kingdom is recognized 26. The king answered and said 

by the Lord, and represented by the head of -^:^:';;;-;;- "JfJlt 

gold. But while giving due credit to the pres- known unto me the dream which 1 

^ ^ , f.i- .1 •• c ^ •.^ have seen, and the Interpretation 

ent state 01 things, the spirit of prophecy with thereof? 

equal candor points out to the self-exalted king 27. Dantel answered in the pres. 

^ ^ ^ ence of the king, and said, The se- 

the weakness of the institutions in which he has cret which the king hath demanded 



38 



STORY OF DANIEL, THE PROPHET. 



can not the wise men, the astrolo- 
gers, the magicians, the soothsay- 
ers, show unto the king ; 
' 28. But there is a God in heaven 
that reueaieth secrets, and maf{- 
eth linown to the king Nebuchad- 
nezzar what shall be in the latter 
days: Thy dream, and the visions 
of thy head upon thy bed, are 
these / 

29. As for thee, king, thy 
thoughts came into thy mind upon 
thy bed what should come to pass 
hereafter : and he that revealeth 
secrets maketh known to thee what 
shall come to pass. 

SO. But as for me, this secret is 
not revealed to me for any wisdom 
that I have more than any living, 
but for their sakes that shall make 
known the interpretation to the 
king, and that thou mightest know 
the thoughts of thy heart. 

81. Thou, king, sawest, and 
behold a great image. This great 
image, whose brightness was ex- 
cellent, stood before thee, and the 
form thereof was terrible. 

32. This image's head was of 
fine gold, his breast and his arms 
of silver, his belly and his thighs 
of brass. 

83, His legs of iron, his feet 
part of iron and part of clay. 

84. Thou sawest till that a stone 
was cut Out without hands, which 
smote the image upon his feet that 
were of iron and clay, and brake 
them to pieces. 

35. Then was the iron, the clay, 
the brass, the silver, and the gold, 
broken to pieces together, and be- 
came like the chaff of the summer 
threshing-floors; and the wind 
carried them away, that no place 
was found for them : and the stone 
that smote the image became a 
great mountain and filled the 
whole earth, 

36. This is the dream ; and we 
will tell the interpretation thereof 
before ihe king. 

87. Thou, king, art a king of 
kings : for the God of heaven hath 
given the a kingdom, pgwer and 
strength, and glory. 



placed his trust, and the inability of the Baby- 
lonian learning to save from impending de- 
struction. 

"Come down, and sit in the dust, O virgin 
daughter of Babylon, sit on the ground ; there 
is no throne, O daughter of the Chaldeans ; for 
thou shalt no more be called tender and delicate. 
Take the millstones and grind meal." From be- 
ing master of all, Babylon must become the 
most humble servant. Because these people had 
disregarded the God of heaven, and had said, 
** None seeth me," evil v^ould come from un- 
known sources, and Babylon should be cut off. 
She would make a desperate effort to save her- 
self by turning to her educators and wise men. 
'* Let now the astrologers, the star-gazers, the 
monthly prognosticators, stand up and save thee 
from these things. . . . Behold, they shall be 
as stubble." When the trial came, there was 
nothing in all the realms of Babylon that could 
save it. 

"The strength of nations and of individuals is 
not found in the opportunities and facilities that 
appear to make them invincible ; it is not found 
in their boasted greatness. That which alone 
can make them great or strong is the power and 
purpose of God. They, themselves, by their 
attitude toward His purpose, decide their own 
destiny >" 

Nebuchadnezzar's kingdom lasted only until 
the reign of his grandson, when the second or 
inferior nation represented by the breast and 
arms of silver came upon the stage of action. 

Medo- Persia took the place of Babylon ; Grecia 
followed the Medo- Persian kingdom, while 
Rome, the fourth kingdom, was to be broken 




The image. 



A CONTROVERSY BETWEEN TRUTH AND ERROR. 39 



into ten parts, which were to remain until the 
end of time. In the days of these kings the 
God of heaven would set up a kingdom which 
would never be destroyed nor conquered by any 
other people ; it would break in pieces and 
consume all former kingdoms, and stand forever. 

The image was a comprehensive outline of the 
world's history. The "glory of kingdoms" 
formed the head of gold, all following king- 
doms deteriorated from Babylon as shown by 
the grade of metals forming the image. First 
gold, then silver, brass, and iron. In the latter 
part of the world's history, a marked change 
was revealed by the iron being mixed with miry 
clay. There were to be no more universal king- 
doms ruled by men ; when the power of the 
fourth kingdom was broken, it was to remain 
divided until the end. In place of one kingdom 
there would be several. 

The clay mixed with iron also denoted the 
union of church and state. This combination is 
peculiar to the latter part of the world's history, 
to the feet and toes of the image. 

Religion was the basis of government in the 
heathen nations ; there could be no separation of 
the church and the state. When apostate Chris- 
tianity united with the state, each remained in a 
sense distinct as the miry clay is separate from 
iron. The union continues until the stone smites 
the image upon the feet. The very fact that 
the ** stone was cut out of the mountain without 
hands," shows that the last kingdoms on earth 
will not be overthrown by any earthly power, 
but that the God of heaven will bring upon 
them final destruction by giving them to the 
burning flames. 



38. And wheresoever the chil- 
dren of men dwell, the beasts of 
the field and the fowls of the 
heauen hath he given into thine 
hand, and hath made thee ruler 
over them all. Thou art this head 
of gold. 

39. And after thee shall arise 
another kingdom inferior to thee, 
and another third f<ingdom of 
brass, which shall bear rule over 
all the earth. 

40. A nd the fourth kingdom 
shall be strong as iron : forasmuch 
as iron breaketh in pieces and sub- 
dueth all things : and as iron that 
breaketh all these, shall it break 
in pieces and bruise. 

41. And whereas thou sawest 
the feet and toes, part of potters' 
clay, and part of iron, the king- 
dom shall be divided; but there 
shall be in it of the strength of 
the iron, forasmuch as thou saw- 
est the iron mixed with miry clay. 

42. And as the toes of the feet 
were part of iron, and part of 
clay, so the kingdom shall be partly 
strong, and partly broken. 

43. And whereas thou sawest 
iron mixed with miry clay, they 
shall mingle themselves with the 
seed of men : but they shall not 
cleave one to another, even as iron 
is not mixed with clay. 

44. And in the days of these 
kings shall the God of heaven set 
up a kingdom, which shall never 
be destroyed: and the kingdom 
shall not be left to other people, 
but it shall break in pieces and 
consume all these kingdoms, and 
it shall stand forever. 

45. Forasmuch as thov sawest 
that the stone was cut out of the 
mountain without hands, and that 
it brake in pieces the iron, the 
brass, the clay, the silver, and the 
gold; the great God hath made 
known to the king what shall come 
to pass hereafter : and the dream 
is certain, and the interpretation 
thereof sure. 

46. Then the king Nebuchadnez- 
zar fell upon his face, and wor- 
shiped Daniel, and commanded 



40 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



that they should offer an oblation 
and sweet odors unto him. 

47. The l<ing answered unto 
Daniel, and said, of a truth it is, 
that your God is a God of gods, 
and a Lord of ffings, and a revealer 
of secrets, seeing thou couldest 
reveal this secret. 

48. Then the king made Daniel a 
great man, and gave him many 
great gifts, and made him ruler 
over the whole province of Baby- 
lon, and chief of the governors 
over all the wise men of Babylon. 

49. Then Daniel requested of the 
king, and he set Shadrach, Mes- 
hach, and Abed-nego, over the af- 
fairs of the province of Babylon : 
but Daniel sat in the gate of the 
king. Dan. 2:26-49. 



The Gentiles shall come to thy 
light and kings to the brightness of 
thy rising. Isa. 6o : 3-5. 



Deut. 28 :.i2, 13. 



Deut. IS :6. 



My people are destroyed for lack 
of knowledge. Hosea 4 : 6. 



Isa. 5 : 13. 



Prov. 2 : 10, II 



But as truly as I live, all the 
earth shall be filled with the glory 
of the Lord. Num. 14:21. 



Hab. 2 : 14 



The king listened to every sentence Daniel 
uttered when telling the dream, and recognized 
it as the vision which had troubled him. When 
Daniel gave the interpretation, he was certain 
that he could accept it as a true prophecy from 
the God of heaven. The vision had deeply af- 
fected the king, and when the meaning was 
given, he fell upon his face before Daniel in 
wonder and humility, and said, ** Of a truth it 
is, that your God is a God of gods, and a Lord 
of kings, and a revealer of secrets, seeing thou 
couldest reveal this secret." 

The youth of twenty-one was made ruler over 
all the provinces of Babylon, and chief governor 
over all the wise men of the kingdoni. Daniel's 
companions were also given high positions in 
the government. It should be remembered that 
this dream as recorded in the second chapter of 
Daniel was given to Nebuchadnezzar in the sec- 
ond year of his sole reign. It was still during 
the lifetime of Jehoiakim, king of Judah. 

It was in the providence of God that His people 
should carry the light of truth to all the heathen 
nations. What they failed to do in the time of 
peace, they must do in time of trouble. Babylon 
was the ruling power of the world ; it was the 
educational center. The Jews were compara- 
tively a small people ; they lost the power of God 
by neglecting the education" of their children ; 
they failed to let their light shine. From their 
midst God took a few who were trained in the 
fear of the Lord, placed them in the heathen 
court, brought them into favor with the ruler 
of the world, so making Himself known to the 
heathen king,. He did even more; He revealed 
Himself to the king, and used these children 



A CONTROVERSY BETWEEN TRUTH AND ERROR. 41 



of His to prove that the wisdom of God excelled 
the wisdom of the Chaldeans. Having exalted 
true education, He piit Daniel and his compan- 
ions at the head of that vast empire that the 
knowledge of the God of heaven might go to 
the ends of the earth. 

Having acknowledged the God of Daniel, 
Nebuchadnezzar was in a position to save Jeru- 
salem instead of destroying it. It was because 
^Sjj^^ of these experiences 

that God could 




Thus saith the Lord, Let not the 
wise man glory in his wisdom, nei- 
ther let the mighty man glory in 
his might, let not the rich man 
glory in his riches : but let him that 
glorieth, glory in this, that he un- 
derstandeth and knoweth me, that 
I am the Lord which exercise lov- 
ingkindness, judgment, and right- 
eousness, in the earth : for in these 
things I delight, saith the Lord. 
Jer. 9:23, 24. 

All nations shall serve him, and 
his son, and his son's son, until the 
very time of his land come : and 
then many nations and great kings 
shall serve themselves of him. 

Jer. 27 : 7. 



miy wM called, hut 
ttvo are, chosen- 



matt. 22:14-' 




send word by His prophet a few years later that, 
should Zedekiah, king of Judah, deliver himself 
to the king of Babylon, Jerusalem would not be 
burned, and the world would receive the light 
of the gospel. 

The history of the city of Babylon is put on 
record because it is God's object lesson to the 
world to-day. The book of Revelation, which 
is the complement of the book of Daniel, fre- 
quently uses the name Babylon, applying it to 
the modem churches. The relation of the Jews 
to the Babylon of Nebuchadnezzar is the same 
as that sustained by the remnant church, the true 
Israel, to the churches which, having known the 
truth, have rejected it. 

The sins of ancient Babylon will be repeated 
to-day. Her educational system is the one now 



Then said Jeremiah unto Zede- 
kiah, Thus saith the Lord, the God 
of hosts, the God of Israel ; If thou 
wilt assuredly go forth unto the 
king of Babylon's princes, then thy 
soul shall live, and this city 'shall 
not be burned with fire ; and thou 
shalt live, and thine house : but if 
thou wilt not go forth to the king 
of Babylon's princes, then shall 
this city be given into the hand of 
the Chaldeans, and they shall bum 
it with fire, and thou shalt not es- 
cape out of their hand. 

Jer. 38 : 17, 18. 

Babylon is fallen, is fallen ; and 
all the graven images of her gods 
he hath broken unto the ground. 
Isa. 21 :9. 

There followed another angel, 
saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, 
that great city, because she made 
all nations drink of the wine of the 
wrath of her fornication. 

Rev. 14:8. 



42 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



Babylon hath been a golden cup 
in the Lord's hand, that made all 
the earth drunken : the nations have 
drunken of her wine ; therefore the 
nations are mad. Jer. 51:7. 

Rev. 17 :4. 

That thou shalt take up this 
proverb against the king of Baby- 
lon, and say. How hath the oppres- 
sor ceased I the exactress of gold 
ceased ! Isa. 14 '.4, margin. 

Saying, Alas, alas that great 
city, that was clothed in fine linen, 
and purple, and scarlet, and decked 
with gold and precious stones, and 
pearls ! For in one hour so great 
riches is come to naught. 

Rev. 18 : 16, 17. 

Gen. 12 : 1. 

Joshua 24 :2, 3. 

Deut. 6 :6, 7. 

Ps. 105 :22. 

Rev. 18 : 1-4. 

For thou art an holy people unto 
the Lord thy God, and the Lord 
hath chosen thee to be a peculiar 
people unto himself, above all the 
nations that are upon the earth. 
Thou shalt not eat any abominable 
thing. Deut. 14 : 1-3. 

Lev. II :44. 

1 Pet. 2 :g. 

Keep therefore and do them ; for 
this is your wisdom and your un- 
derstanding in the sight of the 
nations which shall hear all these 
statutes, and say. Surely this great 
nation is a wise and understanding 
people. For what nation is there 
so great, who hath God so nigh 
unto them, as the Lord our God is 
in all things that we call upon him 
for ? Deut. 4 : 5-8. 

For many are called, but few are 
chosen. Matt. 22: 14. 



generally accepted ; her government, with its ex- 
cessive taxes, its exaltation of the rich and the 
oppression of the poor, its pride, arrogance, love 
of display, its choice of the artificial in place of 
the natural, and the exaltation of the God of 
science instead of the God of heaven, is the one 
toward which the world of to-day is hastening. 

As God called Abraham out of the idolatry 
of Chaldea, and made him the father of the 
Hebrew nation ; as he delivered to that people 
a form of government that would exalt God ; as 
he gave them commandment so to teach their 
children that the Jewish nation might become 
the teacher of nations and might be an 
everlasting kingdom, so to-day He calls 
forth a people from modern Babylon. He 
has entrusted to them principles of healthful 
living which will make them mentally and 
physically a wonder to the world. He has 
given them educational principles, which, if 
followed, wiir make them the teachers of the 
world, and finally bring them into the kingdom 
of God. And to them He has delivered the 
principles of true government, which recognize 
the equal rights of all men, and which in the 
church organization binds all together — one 
body in Christ Jesus. 

Only a few — four out of thousands — were 
true to these principles in the days of Daniel. 
How will it be to-day ? 




CHAPTER IIL 



TRUE FREEDOM IN WORSHIP. 



*' Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image 
of gold." According to Usher's chronology, it 
had been twenty-three years since the dream as 
recorded in the second chapter of Daniel had 
been given to this same Nebuchadnezzar. As a 
result of the experience at that time, Daniel 
was made counselor, sitting in the gate of 
the king, and Shadrach, Meshach, and 
Abed-nego were appointed rulers in the prov- 
ince of Babylon. Many opportunities had 
presented themselves to these men of God, 
ai d they had kept the knowledge of their 
God before the people of Babylon. Jerusa- 
lem had in the meantime been destroyed. The 
Jews, as a nation, were scattered throughout the 
kingdom of Nebuchadnezzar ; their king, Jehoia- 
chin, languished in one of the prisons of Baby- 
lon. It was a time of sorrow and mourning for 
' e chosen people of God. Could it be that they 
were forgotten by Him who smote Egypt, and 
led the hosts across the Red Sea .? As far as 
human eyes could see, it was true. 



7, Nebuchadnezzar the king 
made an image of gold, whose 
height was threescore cubits, and 
the breadth thereof six cubits ; he 
set it up in the plain of Dura, in 
the province of Babylon. 

2. Then Nebuchadnezzar the 
king sent to gather together the 
princes, the governors, and the 
captains, the Judges, the treas- 
urers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, 
and all the rulers of the provinces, 
to come to the dedication of the 
image which Nebuchadnezzar the 
king had set up. 

3. Then the princes, the govern- 
ors, and captains, the judges, the 
treasurers, the counsellors, the 
sheriffs, and all the rulers of the 
provinces. Were gathered together 
unto the dedication of the image 
that Nebuchadnezzar the king had 
set up; and they stood before the 
image that Nebuchadnezzar had 
set up. 

4. Then an herald cried aloud, 
To you it is commanded, people, 
nations, and languages, 

6. That at what time ye hear 
the sound of the cornet, flute, 
harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, 
and all kinds of music, ye fall 
down and worship the golden im- 
age that Nebuchadnezzar the king 
hath set up : 

43 



44 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



6. And whoso falleth not down 
and uuorshipeth shall the same 
hour be cast into the midst of a 
burning fiery furnace. 

Dan. 3 : 1-6. 



Thou shalt love the Lord thy 
God with all thy heart, and with 
all thy soul, and with all thy 
strength, and with all thy mind ; 
and thy neighbor as thyself. 

Luke lo : 27. 



No man can serve two masters : 
for either he will hate the one, 
and love the other ; or else he will 
hold to the one, and despise the 
other. Ye can not serve God and 
mammon. Matt. 6:24. 



For whosoever exalteth himself, 
shall be abased. Luke 14 : 11. 



Let every soul be subject unto 
the higher powers. For there is 
no power but of God ; the powers 
that be, are ordained of God. 

Rom. 13 : 1. 



7. Therefore, at that time, when 
all the people heard the sound of 
the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, 
psaltery, and all kinds of music, 
all the people, the nations, and 
the languages, fell down and wor- 
shiped the golden image that Neb- 
uchadnezzar the king had set up. 
Dan. 3 : 7. 

Ps. 33 : 13-15. 



For whatsoever things were writ- 
ten aforetime were written for our 
learning. Rom. 15:4 



Put them in mind to be subject 
to principalities and powers, to 
obey magistrates, to be ready to 
every good work. Titus 3:1. 



Nebuchadnezzar had been humbled when 
Daniel interpreted his dream ; he had then 
worshiped God ; but as the years passed, he lost 
the spirit which characterized true worship, and 
while in the mind acknowledging the God of 
the Jews, in his heart he was pagan still. He 
made an image of gold, patterning it as closely 
as possible after the image revealed to him in 
his dream, at the same time gratifying his own 
pride, for the entire figure was gold. There was 
no trace of the other kingdoms which were rep- 
resented by the silver, the brass, the iron, and the 
clay in the dream. It stood on the plain of 
Dura, rising at least one hundred feet above the 
surrounding country, and visible for miles in 
every direction. 

The decree was issued by Nebuchadnezzar, 
calling to the capitol the governors and rulers 
of provinces from all over the world. He, the 
ruler of kingdoms, thus showed his authority. 
It was a great occasion, and subject kings and 
governors dared not disobey the mandates of 
this universal king. 

Heaven was watching with intense interest, 
for this was the occasion when the highest 
worldly authority was to meet the government 
of God. 

Babylon was not only the greatest and most 
powerful government in the days of Nebuchad- 
nezzar, but it was a symbol of earthly govern- 
ments of all time ; and for that reason we have 
the record as given in the third chapter of Daniel. 

As a king, he had a perfect right to call his 
subjects together. As subjects, it was the duty 
of those who were called, to obey. 

When that great company had gathered 



TRUE FREEDOM IN WORSHIP. 



45 




Thou shalt not make unto thee 
any graven image, or any likeness 
of anything that is in heaven 
above, or that is in the earth be- 
neath, or that is in the water under 
the earth : thou shalt not bow 
down thyself to them, nor serve 
them : for I the Lord thy God am 
a jealous God, visiting the iniquity 
of the fathers upon the children 
unto the third and fourth genera- 
tion of them that hate me. 

Ex. 20 :4-5. 



around the image on the broad plain, the voice 
of the herald was heard: "At what time ye 
hear the sound ... of all kinds of music, ye 
fall down and worship the golden image . . . 
Whoso falleth not down and wor- 
shipeth shall the same hour 
be cast into the midst of - a 
burning fiery furnace," 
" God is a spirit 
and they that 
^ worship Him 
o7^^ must wor- 
^T twT ship 

Him in ^^xt in tlie 

spirit." But 
of spiritual wor- 
ship, paganism i s 
entirely ignorant 
there be some form, some 
image before which they can 
bow, there can be, to them, no 
worship. It was wholly in ^^ ^ , ,^ ^ 

cordance with the religion, the educa- lOL^IlXlQ 
tion, and the government of Babylon, for ^uCTWinj 



LsJrd 
foi^eVer: 
Except for in the 
Lord 



John 4 : 24. 

The Lord commanded me at 
that time to teach you statutes 
and judgments, that you might do 
them in the land whether ye go 
over to possess it. Take ye there- 
fore good heed unto yourselves ; 
for ye saw no manner of similitude 
on the day that the Lord spake 
unto you in Horeb out of the midst 
of the fire ; lest ye corrupt your- 
selves, and make you a graven 
image, tlie similitude of any fig- 
ure, the likeness of male or 
female, the likeness of any 
beast that is on the earth, 
^ Tf Y *^® likeness of any 

flieth in the air, 
the likeness 
of any- 
thing 
that 



t^ ever- 



the king to erect an image such as he did. 
It was wholly in harmony with the custom — 
educational, religious, and civil — for the people 
in general to respect a command to worship such 
an image. 

While it was in harmony with worldly gov- 
ernment, it was not, however, according to the 
principles of the heavenly government. Hence 
it is that again, in the person of the Babylonian 
king, Satan is challenging the government of God. 
When Lucifer and his angels refused to bow 
before the throne of God, the Father did not 



.|^a:2^:'4 




creep- 
eth on the 
ground, the 
likeness of any 
fish that is in the waters beneath 
the earth: and kst thou lift up thine 
eyes unto heaven, and when thou 
seest the sun, and the moon, and the 
stars, even all the host of heaven, 
shouldest b e driven to worship 
them, and serve them, which the 
Lord thy God hath divided unto all 
nations under the whole heaven, 
Deut 4 : 14-19. 



46 



STORY OF DANIEL, THE PROPHET. 



His own iniquities shall take the 
wicked himself, and he shall be 
holden with the cords of his sins. 
Prov. 5 : 22. 

Rom. 6 :23. 

For the love of Christ constrain- 
eth us ; because we thus judge, 
that if one died for all, then were 
all dead. 2 Cor. 5 : 14. 

Choose you this day whom ye 
will serve. Joshua 24 : 15. 



The Spirit and the bride say, 
Come. And let him that heareth 
say. Come. And let him that is 
athirst come. And whosoever will, 
let him take the water of life 
freely. Rev. 22 :ij. 



8. Whet-efore at that time cer- 
tain Chaldeans came near, and 
accused the Jews. 

9. They spa/<e and said to the 
/<ing Nebuchadnezzar, hing, live 
forever. 

10. Thou, fling, hast made a 
decree, that euery man that shall 
hear the sound of the cornet, flute, 
harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dul- 
cnrier, arid all kinds of music, 
shall fall down and worship the 
golden image : 

11. And whoso falleth not down 
and worshipeth, that he should be 
cast into the midst of a burning 
fiery furnace. 

12. There are certain Jews whom 
thou hath set over the affairs of 
the province of Babylon, Shadrach, 
Meshach, and Abed-nego : these 
men, king, have not regarded 
thee : they serve not thy gods, nor 
worship the golden image which 
thou hast set up. 

Dan. 3:8-12. 



The Lord standeth up to plead, 
and standeth to judge the people. 
Isa. 3 : 13. 



then destroy them. They were permitted to 
live until death should come as a result of the 
course they pursued. The Babylonian king, 
however, threatened utter destruction to all who 
refused to worship his golden image. The mo- 
tive power in the heavenly government is love ; 
human power, when exercised, becomes tyranny. 
All tyranny is a repetition of the Babylonian 
principles. We sometimes call it papal ; it is 
likewise Babylonian. When the civil power en- 
forces worship of any sort, be that worship true 
or false in itself, to obey is idolatry. The com- 
mand must be backed by some form of punish- 
ment, — a fiery furnace, — and the conscience of 
man is no longer free. From a civil standpoint, 
such legislation is tyranny ; looked at from a 
religious point of view, it is persecution. 

The vast throng fell prostrate before the 
image, but Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego 
remained erect. Then it was that certain Chal- 
deans, teachers in the realm,- jealous of the posi- 
tion and power of these Hebrews, having waited 
for a chance to accuse them, said to the king, 
''There are certain Jews whom thou hast set 
over the affairs of the province of Babylon, 
. . . these men have not regarded thee." 

Can it be, thought the king, that when the 
image is made after the pattern of the one 
shown me by the God of the Jews, those 
men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, have 
failed to worship at my command .? Can it be 
possible that when I have elevated those men, 
who were only slaves, to high positions in the 
government, they disregard my laws ? The 
thought rankled in the heart of the king. Self- 
exaltation brooks no opposition, and the men 



TRUE FREEDOM IN WORSHIP. 



47 



were called forthwith into the presence of Nebu- 
chadnezzar. 

Can it" be true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and 
Abed-nego, after all that has been done for you, 
that ye do not serve my gods nor worship the 
image which I have set up? The reason for 



Settle it therefore in your hearts 
not to meditate before what ye 
shall answer : For I will give you 
a mouth and wisdom, which all 
your adversaries shall not be able 
to gainsay nor resist. 

Luke 21 : 14, 15. 

For their redeemer is mighty ; 
he shall pleaa their cause 

-7- with thee. 

/ Prov. 23:11. 

13. Then Nebuchadnez- 
zar in his rage and fury 
commanded to bring Sha- 
drach, Meshach, and Abed- 




making the image was 
doubtless explained, and 
another opportunity of- 
ered them in which they 
might redeem the past 
offense. But if it was 
wilful disregard of au- 
thority, the law of the 
land should be enforced. 
The furnace was pointed 
to by the king as awaiting traitors and rebels. 
What a test of the fidelity of these three 
companions of Daniel ! They realized that they 
were in the presence of not only the richest mon- 
arch of earth, and that disobedience meant 
death, and before the assembled multitudes on 



bhadrach, 

Meshach, and 

* Abed=nego, remained erect. 

nego. Then they brought these 
men before the /<ing. 

14. Nebuchadnezzar spake and 
said unto them. Is it true, Sha- 
drach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, do 
not ye serve my gods, nor worship 
the golden image which / haue 
set up ? 

15. Now if ye be ready that at 



48 



STORY OF DANIEL, THE PROPHET. 



ivhat time ye hear the sound of the 
cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psal- 
tery, and dulcimer, and all kinds 
of music, ye fall down and wor- 
ship the image which I haue made; 
well : but if ye worship not, ye 
shall be cast the same hour into 
the midst of a burning fiery fur- 
nace; and who is that God that 
shall deliuer you out of my hands ? 

16. Shadrach, Meshach, and 
Abed-nego, answered and said to 
the king, Nebuchadnezzar, we 
are not careful to answer thee in 
this matter. 

17. If it be so, our God whom 
we serve is able to deliver us from 
the burning fiery furnace, and he 
will deliver us out of thine hand, 
king. Dan. 3 : 13-17. 

Isa. 43 : lo 

Matt, lo :32. 
Matt. 16:26. 
2 Chron. 20 : 20 

18. But if not, be it known unto 
thee, king, that we will not serve 
thy gods, nor worship the golden 
image which thou hast set up, 

19. Then was Nebuchadnezzar 
full of fury, and the form of his 
visage was changed against Sha- 
drach, Meshach, and Abed-nego: 
therefore he spake, and com- 
manded that they should heat.the 
furnace one seven times more than 
it was wont to be heated. 

20. And he commanded the most 
mighty men that were in his army 
to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and 
Abed-nego, and to cast them into 
the burning fiery furnace. 

21. Then these men were bound 
in their coats, their hosen, and 
their hats, and their other gar- 
ments, and were cast into the 
midst of the burning fiery fur- 
nace. 

22. Therefore because the king's 
commandment was urgent, and the 
furnace exceeding hot, the flame 
of the flre slew those men that 
took up Shadrach, Meshach, and 
Abed-nego. Dan. 3 : 18-22. 



the plain of Dura, but they were a spectacle to 
God, to angels, and to the inhabitants of other 
worlds. The whole universe was watching with 
inexpressible interest to see what these men 
would do. The controversy was not between 
man and Satan, but between Christ and Satan, 
and eternal principles were at stake. Men were 
actors in the contest. They could stand as wit- 
nesses either for Christ or for Satan in this time 
of decision. Would they allow an unsanctified 
emotion to have possession of their lives, and 
compromise their faith } What could a religion 
be worth which admitted of compromise ? What 
can any religion be worth if it does not teach 
loyalty to the God of heaven .? What is there 
of any real value in the world, especially when 
on the very borders of eternity, unless it be 
God's acknowledgment of us as His children ? 

These Hebrew youth had learned from the 
history of God's dealings with the Israelites in 
times past, that disobedience brought only dis- 
honor, disaster, and ruin ; and that the fear of 
the Lord was not only the beginning of wisdom, 
but the basis of all true prosperity. They there- 
fore calmly and respectfully told the king that 
they would not worship his golden image, and 
that they had faith that their God was able to 
protect them. 

The king was angry. His proud spirit could 
not tolerate this refusal to obey his decree. He 
ordered that the furnace be heated seven times 
hotter than usual, and that the most mighty 
men of his army bind these three Hebrews and 
throw them into the fire. This was done, but 
God in this act began to vindicate His faithful 
children. The furnace was so exceedingly hot 



TRUE FREEDOM IN WORSHIP. 



49 



that the mighty men who cast the Hebrews into 
the fire were themselves destroyed by the in- 
tense heat. 

God suffered not envy and hatred to prevail 
against His children. How often have the ene- 
mies of God united their strength and wisdom 
to destroy the character and influence of a few 
humble, trusting persons ! But nothing can 
prevail against those who are strong in the 
Lord. The promise is, **The wrath of man 
shall praise Thee." 

God preserved His servants in the midst of the 
flames, and the attempt to force them into idola- 
try resulted in bringing the knowledge of the 
true God before the assemblage of princes and 
rulers of the vast kingdom of Babylon. " This 
is the victory that overcometh the world, even 
our faith.." All things are possible to those who 
believe. "What things soever ye desire, when 
ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye 
shall have them." God may not always work 
deliverance in the way that we think best, but 
He who sees everything from the beginning, 
knows what will bring honor and praise to His 
name. 

Suddenly the king became pale with terror. 
He looked intently into the midst of the fiery 
furnace, and turned to those near him with the 
words, " Did we not cast three men bound into 
the midst of the fire.?" They answered, "True, 
O king." The king then said, -'Lo, I see four 
men loose, walkmg in the midst of the fire, and 
they have no hurt ; and the form of the fourth 
is like the Son of God." 

How did the king recognize the form of the 
Son of God ? Evidently by the teachings of the 



Who art thou that judgest an- 
other man's servant? to his own 
master he standeth or falleth : yea, 
he shall be holden up : for God is 
able to make him stand. 

Rom. 14 : 4. 

For a just man falleth seven 
times, and riseth up again ; but 
the wicked shall fall into mischief. 
Prov. 24 : 16. 



Though he fall, he shall not be 
utterly cast down : for the Lord 
upholdeth him with his hand. 

Ps. 37 : 24 

Ps. 76 : 10. 

23. And these three men, Sha- 
drach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, 
fell down bound into the midst of 
the burning fiery furnace, 

Dan. 3:23. 

When thou passe th through the 
waters, I will be with thee ; and 
through the rivers, they shall not 
overflow thee : when thou walketh 
through the fire, thou shalt not be 
burned ; neither shall the flame 
kindle upon thee. Isa. 43 : 2 

I John 5 :4. 

Mark 11 : 24. 

24. Then Nebuchadnezzar the 
king was astonied, and rose up in 
haste, and spake, and said unto his 
counsellors, Did not we cast tkree 
men bound into the midst of the 
fire? They answered and said 
unto the king, True, king. 

26. He answered and said, Lo, t 
see four men loose, walking in the 
midst of the lire, and they have no 
hurt; and the form of the fourth 
is like the Son of God. 

Dan. 3 : 24, 25. 

Ps. 18 : 48. 

Ye are our epistle written in our 
hearts, known and read of all men : 
forasmuch as ye are manifestly de- 



50 



STORY OF DANIEL, THE PROPHET. 



clared to be the epistle of Christ 
ministered by us, written not with 
ink, but with the Spirit of the liv- 
ing God ; not in tables of stone, 
but in fleshy tables of the heart. 
2 Cor. 3 :2, 3. 

Now then we are ambassadors 
for Christ, as though God did be- 
seech you by us : we pray you in 
Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to 
God. 2 Cor. 5 : 20. 

Out of the abundance of the 
heart the mouth speaketh. A good 
man out of the good treasure of the 
heart bringeth forth good things. 
Matt. 12 :34, 35. 

The angel of the Lord encamp- 
eth round about them that fear 
him, and delivereth them. 

Ps. 34:7- 

He that loveth pureness of heart, 
for the grace of his lips the king 
shall be his friend. 

Prov. 22 : II. 

Let your light so shine before 
men, that they may see your good 
works, and glorify your Father 
which is in heaven. 

Matt. 5 : 16. 



26. Then Nebuchadnezzar came 
near to the mouth of the burning 
fiery furnace, and spake, and said, 
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed- 
nego, ye servants of the most high 
God, come forth, and come hither. 
Then Shadrach, Meshach, and 
Abed-nego, came forth of the 
midst of the fire. 

27. And the princes, governors, 
and captains, and the king's coun- 
sellors, being gathered together, 
saw these men, upon whose bodies 



Jews in the court of Babylon and in remem- 
brance of his vision. Daniel and his compan- 
ions had ever sought to bring before the king, 
the princes, and the wise men of Babylon, a 
knowledge of the true God. These Hebrews, 
holding high positions in the government, had 
been associated with the king ; and as they were 
not ashamed of their God, they had honored and 
given glory to the Lord whenever opportunity 
afforded. The king had heard from their lips 
descriptions of the glorious Being whom they 
served ; and it was from this instruction that he 
was able to recognize the fourth person in the 
fire as the Son of God. The king also under- 
stood the ministry of angels, and now believed 
that angels had interfered in behalf of these 
faithful men who would yield their bodies to 
punishment rather than consent with their minds 
to serve or worship any God but their own. 
These men were true missionaries. They held 
honored positions in the government, and at the 
same time let the light of the gospel shine 
through their lives. This miracle was one of 
the results of their godly lives. 

With bitter remorse and feelings of humility, 
the king approached the furnace and exclaimed, 
"Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, ye serv- 
ants of the most high God, come forth, and 
come hither." They did so, and all the hosts 
on the plain of Dura were witnesses to the fact 
that not even the smell of fire was upon their- 
garments, and not a hair of their head had been 
singed. God had triumphed through the con- 
stancy of his faithful servants. The magnifi- 
cent image was forgotten by the people in their 
wonder, and solemnity pervaded the assembly. 




" He looked intently into the fiery furnace." 



TRUE FREEDOM IN WORSHIP. 



•51 



What the Jews as a nation had failed to 
do in proclaiming the truth to the nations of 
the world, God accomplished under the most try- 
ing circumstances, with only three men. The 
story of the miraculous deliverance was told to 
the ends of the earth. The principles of relig- 
ious liberty and freedom of conscience were 
known. The history of the Jews was passed from 
mouth to mouth as those unacquainted with the 
three Hebrews asked who they were and how 
they came into Babylon. The Sabbath was pro- 
claimed. The story of Jewish education was 
made known. The glory of Babylon was for 
the time forgotten as the splendor of the heav- 
enly kingdom and the principles of God's gov- 
ernment became the absorbing theme. Without 
doubt some men dated their conversion from 
that day, and forces were set in operation which 
paved the way for the return of the Jews a few 
years later. 

Again the heathen monarch is brought to 
acknowledge the power of the King of heaven. 
When Daniel interpreted the dream, worldly 
wisdom and the learning of the Babylonian 
schools fell before the simple gospel teaching as 
carried out by faithful mothers in Israel. When 
the three Hebrews were saved from the heat of 
the furnace, the principles of God's government 
— true Protestantism, as it would be called to- 
day — were proclaimed before the nations of the 



the fire had no power, nor was an 
hair of their head singed, neither 
were their coats changed, nor the 
smell of fire had passed on them. 

28. Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, 
and said. Blessed be the God of 
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed- 
nego, who hath sent his angel, and 
delivered his servants that trusted 
in him. and have changed the 
king's word, and yielded their 
bodies, that they might not serve 
nor worship any god, except their 
own God. Dan. 3:26-28. 



But before all these, they shall 
lay their hands on you, and perse- 
cute you, delivering you up to the 
synagogues, and into prisons, being 
brought before kings and rulers for 
my name's sake. And it shall turn, 
to you for a testimony. 

Luke 21 : 12, 13., 



They shall speak of the glory of 
thy kingdom, and talk of thy power; 
to make known to the sons of men 
his mighty acts, and the glorious 
majesty of his kingdom. Thy king- 
dom is an everlasting kingdom, and 
thy dominion endureth throughout 
all generations. The Lord uphold- 
eth all that fall, and raiseth up all 
those that be bowed down. 

Ps. 145 :ii-i4. 



earth. 



It was only a partial appreciation of these 
principles which Nebuchadnezzar at first gained; 
nevertheless it led to the decree that throughout 
the whole dominion, wherever a Jew might be 
living, no man should speak against the God of 



y 



Having your conversation honest 
among the Gentiles ; that, whereas 
they speak against you as evildoers. 



52 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



they may by your good works, 
which they shall behold, glorify 
God in the day of visitation. 

I Pet. 2 : 12. 
Prov. 21 : 1. 



29, Therefore I make a decree, 
That euery people, nation and lan- 
guage, which speak any thing 
amiss against the God of Sha- 
drach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, 
shall be cut in pieces, and their 
houses shall be made a dunghill : 
because there is no other God that 
can deliver after this sort. 

Dan. 3:29. 



Jer. 37:8-10. 



Jer. 38:3. 



Jer. 38 : 14-23. 



Jer. 38 : 14-17. 



Have faith in God. Verily I say 
unto you, Whosoever shall say unto 
this mountain, Be thou taken up 
and cast into the sea ; and shall not 
doubt in his heart, but shall believe 
that what he saith cometh to pass ; 
he shall have it. 

Mark 1 1 : 22-24. 



Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. This gave 
freedom to every believer to worship unmolested. 
Satan, in attempting to destroy the Hebrews, 
had overstepped the bounds, and in place of the 
death of three, life was granted to thousands. 
' Usher's chronology gives the date of the 
issuing of this decree as twenty-six years after 
Daniel was carried captive to Babylon ; but it is 
very probable that the exact date was the time 
the prophet Jeremiah told Zedeki^h, king of 
Judah, if he would deliver himself into the hands 
of the king of Babylon's princes, Jerusalem 
v/ould not be destroyed. Only a short time be- 
fore the same prophet had come to Zedekiah, 
saying, " Thus saith the Lord ; * Deceive not 
yourselves, saying, The Chaldeans shall surely 
depart from us ; for they shall not depart, for 
though ye had smitten the whole army of the 
Chaldeans that fight against you, and there re- 
mained but wounded men among them, yet 
should they rise up every man in his tent, and 
durn this city with fire.^ " 

No doubt it seemed strange to Zedekiah that 
the same prophet a little later, should come to 
him again saying, '*Thus saith the Lord, the 
God of hosts, the God of Israel, ' If thou wilt 
assuredly go forth unto the king of Babylon's 
princes, then thy soul shall live, and this city 
shall not be burned with fire ; and thou shalt 
live and thine house.' " 

Zedekiah walked by sight and not by faith, 
and for lack of faith to believe God, he lost 
everything. His sight beheld only the Baby- 
lonian army and the Jews, and he feared to 
obey Faith would have led him to obey 
the command of God, irrespective of any 



TRUE FREEDOM IN WORSHIP. 



53 



obstacles that sight may have presented. 

God never commands us to perform impossi 
bilities ; He always with the command prepares 
the way, if we by faith will go forward and 
obey. If Zedekiah had only known that a de- 
cree had been issued in Babylon forbidding any 
one to even speak a word against the God of 
the Hebrews, he would, no doubt, have quickly 
obeyed. 

God had made every provision to spare Jeru- 
salem, the city of His choice, and the temple 
where His visible presence had abode for so 
many years. But Heaven's plans were frus- 
trated by the doubting heart of the one whom 
God had trusted with the oversight of His work 
in the earth. In vain did the prophet of the Lord 
plead, **Obey, I beseech thee, the voice of the 
Lord which I speak unto thee." But Zedekiah's 
eyes were blinded by earthly things, he meas- 
ured the message from God by his own mind. 
He saw only seeming contradiction in the mes- 
sage, which, if believed, carried the glad tidings 
of victory. If Zedekiah had gone forth to the 
Chaldeans no one would have dared lay hands 
upon him, but like many others he lost the op- 
portunity of a life time by fearing to trust 
God. Notwithstanding the fact that the Lord's 
prophet told him plainly that if he failed to obey 
he would cause Jerusalem to be burned with fire, 
still he was afraid to obey the word of the Lord. 

Zedekiah was a stranger to the faith that en- 
abled Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego to enter 
the fiery furnace rather than dishonor their Lord. 

The trial on the plains of Dura was the crown- 
ing act in the lives of the three Hebrews. We 
are told that they were advanced to higher posi- 



Be still and know that I am God : 
I will be exalted among tlie heathen, 
I will be exalted in the earth. 

Ps. 46:10. 



Dan. 3 : 29-30. 



And there I will meet with thee, 
and I will commune witli thee from 
above the mercy seat, from between 
the two cheribims which are upon 
the ark of the testimony, of all 
things which I will give thee in 
commandment unto the children of 
Israel. Ex. 25 :22. 

Jer. 38 : 20. 

Trust ye in the Lord forever ; for 
in the Lord Jehovah is everlastiag 
strength. Iso. 26 : 4. 



Jer. 39 : 5-20. 



When a man's ways please the 
Lord, he maketh even his enemies 
to be at peace with him. 

Prov, 16 : 7. 

We can do nothing against the 
truth, but for the truth. 

2 Cor. 



13:8. 



Jer. 38:23. 



I say. Have they not heard ? Yes, 
verily, their sound went into all the 
earth, and their words unto the ends 
of the world. Rom. 10 : 18. 

Ps .193,4. 



BO. Then the king promoted 
Shadrach Meshach, and Abed- 
nego, in the prouinee of Babylon, 
Dan.3:3<r. 



54 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



Trust in the Lord, and do good : 
so shalt thou dwell in the land, and 
verily thou shalt be fed. 

Ps. 37:3. 

Show thy marvelous lovingkind- 
ness, O thou that saveth by thy 
right hand them which put their 
trust in thee from them that rise up 
against them. Ps. 17 ; 7. 

Mark 6 :5t, 52. 

The eyes of the Lord run to and 
fro throughout the whole earth, to 
show himself strong in the behalf 




of them whose heart is perfect to- 
ward him. Herein thou hath done 
foolishly: therefore from hence- 
forth thoa shalt have wars. 

2 Chron. 16 :g. 

Jer. 32 : 19. 

Isa. 59: I. 

The eyes of the Lord are upon 
the righteous, and his ears are open 
unto their cry. Ps. 34:15. 

I will make a man more precious 
than fine gold : even a man than 
the golden wedge of Ophir. 

Isa. 13 : 12. 

James 5 : 17. 

Whatsoever thy hand findeth to 
do, do it with thy might. 

Eccl. 9 : ID, 

Whatsoever things were written 
aforetime were written for our learn- 
ing. Rom. 15 : 4. 

Thus saith the high and lofty 
One that inhabiteth eternity, whose 
name is Holy ; I dwell in the high 
and holy place, with him also that 
is of a contrite and humble spirit, 



tions in the province of Babylon, but we heai 
nothing further of them. In the testing time 
they did not know that the Lord would deliver 
them from the furnace, but they had faith to be 
lieve that He had power to do it if it were His 
will to do so. In such times it takes more faith 
to trust that God will bring about His purposes 
in His own way than it does to believe in our 
own way. It is the absence of this faith and 
trust in critical times, which brings .perplexity, 
distress, fear, and surmising of evil. God is ever 
ready to do great things for His people when 
they put their trust in Him. " Godliness 
with contentment is great gain." 

Seldom are we placed in the same circum- 
^" stances twice. Abraham, Moses, Elijah, Dan- 
iel, and others were sorely tried, even unto 
death, yet each test came in a different way. 
Every individual has an experience peculiar to 
his own character and circumstances. God has 
a work to accomplish in the life of each individ- 
ual. Every act, however small, has its place 
in our life experience. God is more than willing 
to guide us in the right way. He has not 
closed the windows of heaven to prayer, but 
his ears are ever open to the cries of His chil- 
dren, and His eye watches every movement of 
Satan to counteract His work. 

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego were men 
of like passions with ourselves. Their lives are 
given to show what man may become even in 
this life, if he will make God his strength and 
wisely improve the opportunities within his 
reach. Among the captives of the king who 
had similar advantages, only Daniel and his three 
companions bent all their energies to seek wis- 



TRUE FREEDOM IN WORSHIP. 



55 



dom and knowledge from God as revealed in His 
Word and works. Although they afterward 
held high positions of trust, they were neither 
proud nor self-sufficient. They had a living con- 
nectfon with God, loving, fearing, and obeying 
Him. They allowed their light to shine in un- 
dimmed luster, while occupying positions of re- 
sponsibility. Amid all the temptations and fasci- 
nations of the court, they stood firm as a rock 
in adherence to principle. 

A direct compliance with Bible requirements, 
and a faith in God, will bring strength to both 
the will and the body. The fruit of the Spirit 
is not only love, joy, and peace, but temperance 
also. If these youth had compromised with the 
heathen officers at first, and yielded to the pres- 
sure of the occasion by eating and drinking 
according to the custom of the Babylonians, 
contrary to God's requirements, that t)ne wrong 
step would undoubtedly have led to others, until 
their consciences would have been seared, and 
they would have been turned into wrong paths. 
Faithfulness in this one point prepared them to 
withstand greater temptation, until finally they 
stood firm in this crucial test on the plain of 
Dura. 

The third chapter of Daniel may be studied 
with profit in connection with the message re- 
ferred to in the thirteenth chapter of Revelation. 
The principles are the same in both. All the 
world was called to worship the image set up in 
the province of Babylon ; refusing, they would 
suffer death. In Revelation there is brought to 
view an image to the beast, — governments on 
earth which will frame laws contrary to the re- 
quirements of God. Life and power will be 



to revive the spirit of the humble, 
and to revive the spirit of the con- 
trite ones. Isa. 57 : 15. 



My son, attend to my words ; in- 
cline thine ear unto'my sayings. Let 
them not depart from thine eyes; 
keep them in the midst of thine 
heart. For they are life unto those 
that find them, and health to all 
their flesh. Prov. 4 : 20-22. 

Be not wise in thine own eyes : 
fear the Lord and depart from evil. 
It shall be health to thy navel, and 
marrow to thy bones. 

Prov. 3 : 7, 8. 

Gal. 6 : 22, 23. 
Prov. 23 :2o, 21. 

I Tim. 4 : 2. 

And shall begin to eat and drink 
with the drunken ; the lord of that 
servant shall come in a day when 
he looketh not for him, and in an 
hour that he is not aware of, and 
shall cut him asunder, and appoint 
him his portion with the hypocrites. 
Matt. 24 : 49-5 1 . 

And the third angel followed 
them, saying with a loud voice, If 
any man worship the beast and his 
image, and receive his mai"k in his 
forehead, or in his hand. 

Rev. 14 rg. 



And deceiveth them that dwell 
on the earth by the means of those 
miracles which he had power to do 
in the sight of the beast ; saying to 
them that dwell on the earth, that 
they should make an image to the 
beast, which had the wound by a 
sword, and did live. And he had 
power to give life unto the image 
of the beast, that the image of the 
beast should both speak and cause 
that as many as would not worship 
the image of the beast should be 
killed. And he causeth all, both 
small and great, rich and poor, free 



S6 



STORY OF DANIEL, THE PROPHET. 



and bond, to receive a mark in their 
right hand, or in their foreheads ; 
and that no man might buy or sell, 
save he that had the mark, or the 
name of the beast, or the number 
of his name. Rev. 13 : 14-17. 

Yea, he shall be holden up; for 
God is able to make him stand. 

Rom. 14 :4. 

Choosing rather to suffer afflic- 
tion with the people of God, than 
to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a 
season ; esteeming the reproach of 
Christ greater riches than the treas- 
ures in Egypt : for he had respect 
unto the recompense of the reward. 
For he endured as seeing him who 
is invisible. Heb. 11 : 25-27. 



Train up a child in the way he 
and when he is old, he 



should go. *iiu wiitii 
will not depart from it. 

T 



Prov. 22 : 6. 



There shall be a time of trouble, 
such as never was since there was 
a nation even to that same time : 
and at that time thy people shall be 
delivered, every one that shall be 
found written in the book. 

Dan. 13 : x. 



given to this image, and it shall both speak and 
decree that as many as will not worship it shall 
be put to death. All, small and great, rich and 
poor, free and bond, will be required to receive 
a mark in the right hand or in the forehead. 
Men will be disfranchised for not worshiping this 
image ; for no one will be allowed to buy or sell 
who has not the mark, or the name of the beast, 
or the number of his name. 

Who will be able to stand the test when this 
decree to worship the image to the beast is en- 
forced ? Who will choose rather to '* suffer af- 
fliction with the people of God than to enjoy 
the pleasures of sin for a season " .? What chil- 
dren are now being trained and educated in 
these principles of integrity to God .? From what 
homes will come the Daniels and Meshachs.? 
This will be the final test brought upon the 
servants of God. The scenes portrayed in the 
third chapter of Daniel are but a miniature rep- 
resentation of those trials into which the people 
of God are coming as the end approaches. 




CHAPTER IV. 



THE MOST HIGH RULETH. 



The fourth chapter of Daniel is, in some re- 
spects, the most wonderful chapter in the Bible. 
It is a public document written by Nebuchad- 
nezzar, king of Babylon, after his humiliation 
by the God of heaven. It was sent " unto all 
people, nations, and languages, that dwell in all 
the earth.'* It therefore comes to us with as 
much freshness and vitality as though it were 
issued to the generation in which we live. The 
object was, says Nebuchadnezzar, **to show the 
signs and wonders that the high God hath 
wrought towards me.'* Contemplating what had 
been done, he exclaimed in language similar to 
that of the apostle Paul, " How great are His 
signs ! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, 
and His dominion is from generation to genera- 
tion." 

Nebuchadnezzar's reign had been one long 
scene of warfare. He was a man of war. This 
characteristic was so prominent in the life of the 
great king that prophecy calls him " the terrible 



1. Nebuchadnezzar the king, 
unto all people, nations, and lan- 
guages, that dwell in all the earth; 
Peace be multiplied unto you. 

2. I thought it good to show the 
signs and wonders that the high 
God hath wrought toward me. 

3. How great are his signs I and 
how mighty are his wonders I his 
kingdom is an everlasting king- 
dom, and his dominion is from 
generation to generation. 

Dan 4 : 1-3. 



Now all these things happened 
unto them for ensamples : and they 
are written for our admonition, 
upon whom the ends of the world 
are come. i Cor. lo : ii. 

Dan. 2 : 44, 45. 
2 Peter i :ii. 



Eze. 30 : 10, 11. 

57 



58 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



Jer. 50 : 23. 
Eze. 31 : 12. 
Eze. 30 : 25. 



It came to pass in the seven and 
twentieth year, in the first month, 
in the first day of the month, the 
word of the Lord came unto me. 
saying. Son of man, Nebuchadnez- 
zar king of Babylon caused his 
army to serve a great service against 
Tyrus : yet had he no wages, nor his 
army. Therefore thus saith the 
Lord God ; Behold, I will give the 
land of Egypt unto Nebuchadnez- 
zar king of Babylon ; and he shall 
take her multitude, and take her 
spoil, and take her prey ; and it 
shall be the wages for his army. 
Eze. 29 : 17-21. 

Eze. 30 : 9-11. 



The word of the Lord came unto 
me, saying, Son of man, speak unto 
Pharaoh king of Egypt, and to his 
multitude ; Whom art thou like in 
thy greatness? Behold, the Assyr- 
ian was a cedar in Lebanon with 
fair branches, and with a shadow- 
ing shroud, and of an high stature ; 
and his top was among the thick 
boughs. Eze. 31 : 1-8. 



of the nations," and the " hammer of the whole 
earth." He had met foes on every side and 
had been successful, because God had put His 
** sword into the hand of the king of Babylon," 
and had made use of this monarch to punish 
other nations which had refused the light of 
truth. To illustrate : For thirteen years the city 
of Tyre resisted every effort made by Nebuchad- 
nezzar. Finally he was successful, but gained 
no spoils, for Tyre, captured on the sqacoast, re- 
moved to an island. Although Nebuchadnezzar 
knew it not, he was fulfilling prophecy in the 
destruction of Tyre. The Lord rewarded him 
for this work by sending word to him through 
the prophet Ezekiel that he could have the spoil 
of Egypt as wages for his army while destroy- 
ing Tyre, for Egypt as well as Tyre had rejected 
the knowledge of the true God. Then Nebu- 
chadnezzar turned his arms against Egypt, and 
that nation, which years before had held Israel 
in bondage, now became a slave to the Babylo- 
nian power. 

The prophet Ezekiel, one of the Hebrew cap- 
tives, was given a view of the capture of Egypt 
by Nebuchadnezzar, and was told to send the 
testimony to Pharaoh, king of Egypt. In this 
prophecy Egypt is represented as a mighty tree 
towering above all the trees of the earth. Even 
the trees of Eden envied the splendor of this 
tree. All the fowls of heaven nested in its 
boughs ; the hosts of earth dwelt beneath its 
branches. But this tree of Egypt was lifted up 
because of its greatness, and God sent Babylon 
to hew it to the ground. The crash of its fall 
shook the earth. 

This prophecy must have been known to 



THE MOST HIGH RULETH. 



59 



Nebuchadnezzar, if not before, at least after his 
victory over Egypt, for it was famihar to the 
Jews, and there were Jews in the Babylonian 
court. This throws light on the fourth chapter 
of Daniel. 

Having conquered the world, Nebuchadnezzar 
was at rest in his house, when one night he 
dreamed a dream. Success had followed him 
wherever he turned. At his feet bowed the 
representatives of all nations. Into his coffers 
flowed the wealth of the east and the west, the 
north and the south. About him was clustered 
the wit and learning of the age. Libraries were 
at his command, and art flourished. Why 
should not king Nebuchadnezzar flourish in his 
kingdom } But he had dreamed a dream which 
troubled him, and he called upon his wise men 
for an interpretation. They listened, but 
strange to say, could give no explanation. 
God always permitted the wise nien of the 
earth to have the first trial. When these wise 
men failed, Daniel was called. 

Daniel's name had been changed when he 
first entered the Babylonian court, and to the 
king and his associates he was known as Belte- 
shazzar, a son of the heathen god Bel, but 
Daniel himself always retained his own Hebrew 
name. Years before this, however, the God of 
Daniel had said, ** Bel boweth and Nebo stoopeth; 
. . . they could not deliver the burden, but 
themselves are gone into captivity." Daniel 
again had an opportunity of proving the wisdom 
of his God and the weakness of Babylonian 
deities. 

The dream, as repeated by the king in Daniel's 
hearing, is wonderful to contemplate. The tree 



4. I Nebuchadnezznr was at rest 
in mine house, and flourishing in 
my palace : 

5. I saw a dream which made 
me afraid, and the thoughts upon 
my bed and the visions of my head 
troubled me. 

6. Therefore made I a decree to 
bring in all the wise men of Baby- 
lon before me, that they might 
make known unto me the Interpre- 
tation of the dream, 

7. Then came in the magicians, 
the astrologers, the Chaldeans, 
and the soothsayers : and I told 
the dream before them; but they 
did not make known unto me the 
interpretation thereof. 

8. But at the last Daniel came 
in before me, whose name was 
Betteshazzar, according to the 
name of my god, and in whom is 
the spirit of the holy gods : and 
before him I told the dream, say- 
ing. Dan. 4 : 4-8. 

The wise men are ashamed, they 
are dismayed and taken : lo, they 
have rejected the word of the Lord ; 
and what wisdom is in them ? 

Jer. 8 : 9. 



9. Betteshazzar, master of the 
magicians, because I know that 
the spirit of the holy gods is in 
thee, and no secret troubleth thee, 
tell me the visions of my dream 
that / have seen, and the interpre- 
tation thereof. Dan. 4 : 9. 



Bel boweth down, Nebo stoop- 
eth ; their idols were upon the 
beasts, and upon the cattle : your 
carriages were heavy laden ; they 
are a burden to the weary beast. 
They stoop, they bow down to- 
gether ; they could not deliver the 
burden, but themselves are gone 
into captivity. Isa. 46 : i, 2. 



They were no gods, but the work 
of men's hands, wood and stone. 
Isa. 37 : 19. 



6o 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



10. Thus were tke visions of 
mine head in my bed ; I saw, and 
behold a tree in the midst of the 
earth, and the height thereof was 
great, 

11. The tree grew, and was 
strong, and the height thereof 
reached unto heaven, and the 
sight thereof to the end of all 
the earth : 

12. The leaves thereof were fair, 
and the fruit thereof much, and 
in it was meat for all : the beasts 
of the field had shadow under it, 
and the fowls of the heaven dwelt 
in the boughs thereof, and all 
flesh was fed of it. 

Dan. 4 : 10-12. 



This- wisdom descendeth not from 
above, but is earthly, sensual, dev- 
ilish. James 3:15. 



I have seen the wicked in great 
power, and spreading himself like a 
green tree that groweth in his own 
soil. Ps. 37 : 35 [margin]. 



Boast not against the branches. 
But if thou boast, thou bearest not 
the root, but the root thee. 

Rom. II : 18. 



Are they not all ministering spir- 
its, sent forth to minister for them 
who shall be heirs of salvation 

H-b. I :i4. 



was a familiar object and a striking symbol. 
The most magnificent specimens that the world 
afforded had been transplanted into the Babylo- 
nian gardens. The story of Eden and its trees 
had been handed down by tradition, and the 
people knew of the tree of life, and also of the 
tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The 
tree seen in the dream was planted in the 
midst of the earth, and as he watched, the 
king saw it grow until the top reached heaven, 
and its boughs stretched to the ends of the 
earth. Strange that this tree, which grew to- 
ward heaven in spite of everything, which was 
watered by the dews of heaven and fed by 
God's own sunshine, knew only of the earth, 
and earthly kingdoms ! 

As it had been with the Egyptian tree, so with 
this: fowls rested in the branches and beasts 
dwelt in its shadow. The king in his dream 
saw only the upper part of the tree, the branches, 
leaves, and fruit, but the roots of any tree are 
as numerous and widespread as its branches ; 
hence this mighty tree, whose top reached 
heaven, and whose branches spread forth to the 
ends of the earth, was supported by roots which, 
though hidden, ran through all the earth. Deep- 
rooted, it was drawing nourishment from hidden 
springs. In fact, the fair leaves and abundant 
fruit were dependent upon the condition of the' 
roots. 

As Nebuchadnezzar gazed upon the tree, he 
saw a "watcher, even an holy one," — a messen- 
ger from heaven, whose appearance was similar 
to the One who walked in the midst of the fiery 
furnace with the Hebrew children. At the 
command of this divine messenger, the tree was 



THE MOST HIGH RULETH. 



6i 



hewn down, the stump ^ alone re- 
maining. Hewing down the 
' tree did not kill the stump 
nor the roots. The life re- 
mained, and it was ready to 
send forth new shoots more 
numerous than before. 

It is doubtful whether 
man ever received a mes- 
sage freighted with greater 
importance than 




" Hew down the 
tree, and cut off his branches, 
shake off his leaves and scatter his fruit." 



\ 



.^ -^ this one given to Nebuchadnezzar. 

In his former dream he was shown the 
shortness of his kingdom and given proof 



For there is hope of a tree, if it 
be cut down, that it will sprout 
again, and that the tender branch 
thereof will not cease. Though the 
root thereof wax old in the earth, 
and the stock thereof die in the 
ground ; Yet through the scent of 
water it will bud, and bring forth 
boughs like a plant. 

Job. 14 : 7-9. 



73. / saw in the visions of my 
head upon my bed, and, behold, a 
watcher and an holy one came 
down from heauen; 

14. He cried aloud, and said 
thus, Hew down the tree, and cut 
off his branches, shaf<e off his 
leaves, and scatter his fruit : let 
the beasts get away from under 
it, and the fowls from his 
branches: 

16. Nevertheless leave the stump 
of his roots in the earth, even 
with a band of iron and brass, in 
the tender grass of the field ; and 
let it be wet with the dew of 
heaven, and let his portion be 
with the beasts in the grass of 
the earth : 

16. Let his heart be changed 
from man's, and let a beast's heart 
be given unto him; and let seven 
times pass over him. 

17. This matter is by the decree 
of the watchers, and the demand 
by the word of the holy ones : to 
the intent that the living may 
know that the most High ruteth in 
the kingdom of men, and giueth it 
to whomsoever he will, and set- 
teth up over it the basest of men. 

18. This dream I king Nebuchad- 
nezzar have seen. Now thou, 
Belteshazzar, declare the inter- 
pretation thereof, forasmuch as 
all the wise men of my kingdom 
are not able to make known unto 
me the interpretation : but thou 
art able ; for the spirit of the holy 
gods is in thee. 

Dan. 4- 13-18. 



62 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



As for man, his days are as 
grass : as a flower of the field, so 
he flourisheth. For the wind pass- 
eth over it, and it is gone : and the 
place thereof shall know it no more. 
Ps. 103 : 15-16. 



The Lord hath prepared his 
throne in the heavens; and his 
kingdom ruleth over all. 

Ps. 113 : 19. 



19. Then Daniel, whose name 
was Belteshazzar, was astonied 
for one hour, and his thoughts 
troubled him. The king spal<e and 
said, Belteshazzar, let not the 
dream, or the interpretation 
thereof, trouble thee. Belteshaz- 
zar answered and said. My lord, 
the dream be to them that hate 
thee, and the interpretation 
thereof to your enemies. 

20. The tree that thou sawest 
which grew, and was strong, 
whose height reached unto the 
heavens, and the sight thereof to 
all the earth ; 

21. Whose leaves were fair, and 
the fruit thereof much, and in it 
was meat for all ; under which the 
beasts of the field dwelt, and upon 
whose branches the fowls of the 
heaven had their habitation : 

22. It is thou, king, that art 
grown and become strong : for thy 
greatness is grown, and reacheth 
unto heaven, and thy dominion to 
the end of the earth. 

23. And whereas the king saw 
a watcher and an holy one coming 
down from heaven and saying. 
Hew the tree down, and destroy it ; 
yet leave the stump of the roots 
thereof in the earth, even with 
a band of iron and brass, in the 
tender grass of the field ; and let 
it be wet with the dew of heaven, 
and let his portion be with the 
beasts of the Held, till seven times 
pass over him. 

Dan. 4 : 19-23. 



of the decline of the empire. Had he lived 
in harmony with what was then revealed to 
him, the experience about to come would 
have been avoided. The parting words of the 
angel as he left Nebuchadnezzar were, **This' 
matter is by the decree of the watchers . . . 
to the intent that the living may know that the 
Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and 
giveth it to whomsoever He will." More than 
that, " He setteth up over it the basest of 
men." Because a man holds a position, it 
does not signify that he is better than others. 
When Daniel realized the true significance of 
the dream, and foresaw the humiliation of the 
king of Babylon, ** his thoughts troubled him." 
He was encouraged by the king not to be 
troubled, but to give the true interpretation. 
He did so, plainly telling the king that the tree 
seen in the vision was emblematic of Nebuchad- 
nezzar himself, and his dominion. '' It is thou, 
O king, that art grown and become strong ; for 
thy greatness is grown and reacheth unto heaven, 
and thy dominion to the end of the earth." 
Great as was Nebuchadnezzar's kingdom, it had 
grown from a small beginning. Gradually the 
principles upon which it was founded — princi- 
ples much older than the king, for they origi- 
nated with Lucifer, and were a perversion of 
heavenly truths — had taken root. In govern- 
ment it was the most rigid monarchy; the king 
held the lives of his subjects in his hands. 
Slaves bowed before him in abject subjugation; 
exorbitant taxes were forced from subject prov- 
inces ; crowned heads were laid low and men 
enslaved that the king of Babylon might revel 
in the wealth of the world. The seeds of that 



THE MOST HIGH RULETH. 



63 



form of government were sown wherever Baby- 
lon established her power, and as she sowed, so 
she, as well as others, have reaped. When Baby- 
lon fell, the principles by which she had con- 
trolled others were in turn applied to her. Wher- 
ever there is tyranny in government in any 
nation of the earth to-day, it is an offshoot of 
that root which filled the earth, the stump of 
which was allowed to remain until the end 
of time. 

Wherever Babylon laid her hand in conquest, 
the principles of her religion were implanted. 
The vilest forms of worship were practiced in 
that kingdom with all its outward glory. The 
heart 'was rotten. The mystery of iniquity held 
full sway, hidden by the outward glitter of gold. 
The mysteries of Greece in a later day were 
but a repetition of the Babylonian mysteries. 
From the golden cup which she held in her 
hand, and which was a familiar symbol in Baby- 
lonian secret societies, she made all nations 
drunk with the wine of her fornication. 

Nations and peoples to-day, unconscious of 
their origin, are perpetuating Babylonian reli- 
gious customs when they celebrate Christmas 
with feasting, lighted candles, holly, and mistle- 
toe. It is in commemoration of Babylonian 
heathen gods that they eat eggs on Easter; and 
even the wild capers of Hallowe'en repeat the 
mysteries of Babylon. The root was not de- 
stroyed ; her religious principles have sprung up 
afresh in every generation and borne fruit in 
every country. 

The influence of Babylon in educational lines 
was no less marked than her influence in govern- 
ment and religion, and the educational root of 



Shout against her round about: 
she hath given her hand : her foun- 
dations are fallen, her walls are 
thrown down : for it is the ven- 
geance of the Lord : take vengeance 
upon her: as she hath done, do 
unto her. Call together the arch- 
ers against Babylon : all ye that 
bend the bow, camp against it round 
about ; let none thereof escape : 
recompense her according to her 
work : according to all she hath 
done, do unto her ; for she hath 
been proud against the Lord, 
against the Holy One of Israel. 
Jer. 50 : 15, 16, 29. 



Gal. 6:7. 



They have sown the wind, and 
they shall reap the whirlwind. 

Hosea 8 •.•]. 



I will punish the world for their 
evil, and the wicked for their in- 
iquity ; and I will cause the arro- 
gancy of the proud to cease, and 
will lay low the haughtiness of the 
terrible. Isa. 13 : 11. 



Jer. SI :ii. 



All nations have drunk of the 
wine of the wrath of her fornica- 
tion, and the kings of the earth 
have committed fornication with 
her, and the merchants of the earth 
are waxed rich through the abun- 
dance of her delicacies. 

Rev. 18:3. 



But now, after that ye have known 
God, or rather are known of God, 
how turn ye again to the weak and 
beggarly elements, whereunto ye 
desire again to be in bondage ? Ye 
observe days, and months, and 
times, and years. I am afraid of 
you, lest I have bestowed upon 
you labor in vain. 

Gal. 4:9-11. 



64 



STORY OF DANIEL, THE PROPHET. 



The thing that hath been, it is 
that which shall be ; and that which 
is done is that which shall be done , 
and there is no new thing under the 
sun. Is there any thing whereof it 
may be said, See, this is new? it 
hath been already of old time, 
which was before us. 

£ccl. I :9, lo. 

That which hath been is now ; 
and that which is to be hath already 
been ; and God requireth that which 
is past. Eccl. 3 : 15. 







Leave the stump of his roots in the earth, even 
with a band of iron and brass," 



Dan. 



Dan. 2 :27, 19. 

Dan. 3 : 18. 

Dan. 4 :6-g. 

Dan. 5 : 8, 13, 14. 

All that is in the world, the lust 
of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, 
and the pride of life, is not of the 
Father, but is of the world. 

I John 2 : 16. 

We would have healed Babylon, 
but she is not healed : forsake her, 
and let us go every one into his 
own country : for her judgment 
Teacheth unto heaven, and is lifted 
up even to the skies. Jer. 51:9. 



Gen. 



2:17. 



the tree was as vigorous as the others. We are 
in the habit of tracing the educational system of 
the world to Greece or Egypt ; its principles are 
older than Greece. They belong to Babylon. 
The prominence given this phase of Babylonian 
life by the Spirit of God in the book of Daniel, 
and the fact that the leading educators and educa- 
tional institutions of the world were brought in 
direct contact with the more simple principles of 
true education every time the He- 
brews met the Chaldeans and wise 
men, shows the place which educa- 
tion occupies both in the false 
kingdoms of which Babylon is a 
type, and in the true, which the 
Hebrew government represented. 
The co-called "higher educati6n" 
of to-day, which exalts the science 
of the world above the science of 
salvation ; which sends forth stu- 
dents bearing worldly credentials, but not rec- 
ognized in the books of heaven, students who 
love display, who are filled with pride, selfish- 
ness, and self-esteem, — this education is a 
plant which has sprung from that broad root 
which supported the tree representing the 
Babylonian dominion. 

Seeds of truth had been planted in Babylon. 
The Holy Watcher sought constantly for the 
growth of a tree which would bring life. All 
nations were gathered under the influence of 
Babylon in hopes that they might there be fed 
with fruit which would prove to be the bread of 
life ; but instead, it was a mixture of good and 
evil, which poisoned the consumer. 

The leaves of the tree were fair to look upon, 



THE MOST HIGH RULETH, 



65 



and might have been for the healing of the na- 
tions; but the very odor they exhaled, intoxi- 
cated and led to excess. So with the plant 
which has sprung from those hidden roots. It 
may be fair to look upon, its fruit may be so 
sweet that the eater can not be persuaded that 
it is not truth, but the wisdom of God will stand 
long after that of the world has been destroyed. 
We should watch and guard against the evils 
which spring from the Babylonian root. 

Aside from the general application to the en- 
tire kingdom, a part of the dream pictures the 
experience of Nebuchadnezzar personally. Be- 
cause of his pride of heart, he would lose his 
reason, forsake the abodes of men, find his home 
with the beasts of the field, and remain in this 
condition for seven years — until he had learned 
" that the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of 
men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will." 
Daniel exhorted the king, " Let my counsel be 
acceptable unto thee, and break off thy sins by 
righteousness, and thine iniquities by showing 
mercy to the poor." There was yet time for 
repentance, and had the king heeded this coun- 
sel, it would have saved him from the great hu- 
miliation which came upon him. But when 
men's hearts are set, the message to change, 
though given by an angel from heaven, remains 
unheeded. Consequently, ** all this came upon 
the king Nebuchadnezzar." 

A year of probation was granted the king after 
this solemn warning had been given. At the 
end of this time the king, in his royal pal- 
ace, thinking of his kingdom with pride and 
satisfaction, exclaimed, "Is not this great Baby- 
lon, that / have built for the house of the king- 



There is hope of a tree, if it be 
cut down, that it will sprout again, 
and that the tender branch thereof 
will not cease. Though the root 
thereof wax old in the earth, and 
the stock thereof die in the ground ; 
yet through the scent of water it 
will bud, and bring forth boughs 
like a plant. Job 14 : 7-q, 

2 Cor. 11:3. 

24. This is the interpretation, 
king, and this is thg decree of 
the most High, which has come 
upon my lord the fiing : 

25. That they shall drive thee 
from men, and thy dwelling shall 
be with the beasts of the field, and 
they shall make thee to eat grass 
as oxen, and they shall wet thee 
with the dew of heauen, and seven 
times shall pass over thee, till 
thou know that the most High 
ruleth in the kingdom of men, 
and giueth it to whomsoever he 
will. 

26. And whereas they com- 
manded to leave the stump of the 
tree roots; thy kingdom shall be 
sure unto thee, after that thou 
Shalt have known that the heavens 
do rule. Dan. 4:24-26. 

Dan. II : 13 [margin]. 
Isa. I : 16-20. 
Isa. 58 :7-ii. 
Matt. 23 : 12. 
Luke 16 :3i. 

Every man of the house of Israel 
that setteth up his idols in his heart, 
and putteth the stumblingblock of 
his iniquity before his face, and 
Cometh to the prophet : I the Lord 
will answer him that cometh 
according to the multitude of his 
idols ; and I will set my face against 
that man, and will make him a sign 
and a proverb. Eze. 14 :4-8. 

27. Wherefore, king, let my 
counsel be acceptable unto thee, 
and break of thy sins by right- 
eousness, and thine iniquities by 
showing mercy to the poor ; if it 
may be a lengthening of thy tran- 
quility. 



66 



STORY OF DANIEL, THE PROPHET. 



28. All this came upon the hing 
Nebuchadnezzar. 

Dan. 4:27,28, 

I will ascend above the heights 
of the clouds : I will be like the 
most High. Isa. 14 : 13, 14. 

29. At the end of twelve months 
he walked in the palace of the 
kingdom of Babylon. 

30. The king spake, and said. Is 
not this great Babylon, that I have 
built for the house of the kingdom 
by the might of my power, and for 
the honor of my majesty ? 

31. While the word was in the 
king's mouth, there fell a voice 
from heaven, saying, king Nebu- 
chadnezzar, to thee it is spoken; 
The kingdom is departed from thee. 

32. And they shall drive thee 
from men, and thy dwelling shall 
be with the beasts of the field : 
they shall make thee to eat grass 
as oxen, and seven times shall 
pass over thee, until thou know 
that the most High ruleth in the 
kingdom of men, and giveth it to 
whomsoever he will. 

Dan. 4:29-32. 

Ps. 37:35136. 

Whom the Lofd loveth he chast> 
eneth, and scourgeth every son 
whom he receiveth. 

Heb. 12 : 4-1 1. 

Blessed is the man whom thou 
chastenest, O Lord, and teachest 
him out of thy law ; that thou may- 
est give him rest from the days of 
adversity, until the pit be digged 
for the wicked. Ps. 94 : 12, 13. 

33. The same hour was the thing 
fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar : 
and he was driven from mnn, and 
did eat grass as oxen, and his 
body was wet with the dew of 
heaven, till his hairs were grown 
like eagles' feathers, and his nails 
like birds' claws. 

Dan. 4:33. 



dom by the might of my power, and for the 
honor of my majesty ?" He was repeating the 
thoughts, almost the exact words, of Satan, 
when, he thought to exalt his throne above God. 
When proud thoughts were entertained, and 
these words were uttered, the sentence was pro- 
nounced which blasted the tree, and degraded 
the monarch whom the tree symbolized. It was 
God who had given the king his reason and 
ability to establish a kingdom ' like this. The 
same God could take away the judgment and 
wisdom upon which the king prided himself. 
And God did so. It is the mind which elevates 
man above the beast. When the power of the 
mind is removed, man sinks to the lowest level. 
Nebuchadnezzar became as the beasts. David 
says, '' I have seen the wicked in great power, 
and spreading himself like a green bay tree. 
Yet he passed away, and, lo, he was not : yea, I 
sought him, but he could not be found." 

When God can not save men in prosperity, he 
brings upon them adversity. If in all this they 
reject God, then they bring upon themselves de- 
struction. Let the results be as they may, God 
is clear from all censure. This is illustrated by 
Nebuchadnezzar's case. The proud and power- 
ful monarch no longer swayed the scepter. He 
became a maniac, and for seven years he was 
found with cattle, the companion of beasts, feed- 
ing as they fed. His reason dethroned, he was 
no longer regarded even as a man. The man- 
date had gone forth, ** Hew down the tree, and 
cut off his branches, shake off his leaves, and 
scatter his fruit." 

It is necessary in the cause of God and in 
the world, that men bear responsibility. But 



THE MOST HIGH RULETH. 



ej 




Is not this srreat Babylon that I have 
built for the house of the kingdom by the misht 
of my power, and for the honor of my majesty?" 



when men are lifted up in pride and 
depend upon worldly wisdom, God can no lon- 
ger sustain them, and they fall. Nations and 
individuals alike have this experience. Even 
the professed Church of Christ, when it 
departs from the humility of the Mas- 
ter, -loses its power, and will certainly 
be brought low. The people who glory 
in wealth, or intellect, or knowledge, or in 
anything save Jesus Christ, will be brought to 
confusion. In Christ alone **are hid all the 
treasures of wisdom and knowledge." Every 
brilliant thought, every intellectual idea, which 
in any way brings greatness, originates with our 
Lord. It is God who is dealing with humanity. 
He rules. 

It should be remembered that in all of His 
dealings with the king Nebuchadnezzar, God was 
working for the salvation of the ruler and those 
affected by his influence. God allowed him to 



I am the Lord : that is my name : 
and my glory will I not give to an- 
other, neither my praise to graven 
images. Isa. 42 : 8. 

Humble yourselves therefore un- 
der the mighty hand of God, that 
he may exalt you in due time. 

I Peter 5 : 6. 

Base things of the world, and 
things which are despised, hath God 
chosen, yea, and things which are 
not, to bring to naught things that 
are : that no flesh should glory in 
his presence. But of him are ye in 
Christ Jesus, who of God is made 
unto us wisdom, and righteousness, 
and sanctificaiion, and redemption 
I Cor. I : 28-30. 

Col. 2:3. 

34. At the end of the days I 
Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine 
eyes unto heauen, and mine under- 
standing returned unto me, and I 
blessed the most High, and / 
praised and honored him that 
liueth forever, whose dominion 
is an everlasting dominion, and 
his kingdom is from generation 
to generation : 



6S 



STORY OF DANIEL, THE PROPHET. 



36. And all the inhabitants of 
the earth are reputed as nothing : 
and he doeth according to his will 
in the army of heaven, and among 
the inhabitants of the earth ; and 
none can stay his hand, or say 
unto him, What doeth thou ? 

36. At the same time my reason 
returned unto me; and for the 
glory of my kingdom, mine honor 
and brightness returned unto me ; 
and my counsellors and my lords 
sought unto me ; and I was estab- 
lished in my kingdom, and excel- 
lent majesty was added unto me. 

37, Now I Nebuchadnezzar 
praise and extol and honor the 
King of heaven, all whose works 
are truth, and his ways judg- 
ment; and those that walk in 
pride he is able to abase. 

Dan. 4:34-37. 



suffer seven years of deplorable degradation, and 
then removed His chastening hand. After pass- 
ing through this terrible humiliation, he was 
brought to see his own weakness ; he confessed 
his guilt, and acknowledged the God of heaven. 
He sent to all the world the description of this 
experience as recorded in the fourth chapter of 
Daniel. He had learned that those who walk in 
pride, God is able to abase.* In comparison with 
God and His universe, the inhabitants of the 
earth sink into insignificance, and are reputed as 
nothing. ** He doeth according to His will in 
the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants 
of the earth : and none can stay His hand, or 
say unto Him, What doest Thou?" 





THE LAST YEARS OF THE BABYLONIAN KINGDOM. 



The history of the Babylonian nation reveals 
to one who searches for hidden principles, all 
that is necessary in order to understand the re- 
lation of earthly governments to God, the deal- 
ings of God with all the nations of the earth, 
and the attitude which men should assume to- 
ward God and toward earthly governments. 
These four principles can be learned from a 
study of the history of Babylon as recorded in 
the book of Daniel, and by the prophets who 
wrote concerning this kingdom. This is true, 
because in Babylon is seen in some respects the 
most complete development of the plans of Sa- 
tan. Here were counterfeited the principles of 
the heavenly kingdom, and so much of the true 
metal was mingled with the alloy that an un- 
usual strength was developed. In other words, 
the kingdom of Babylon was built and developed 
in accordance with laws which were in them- 
selves divine ; but since the greatest evil lies 
near to and is a perversion of the greatest good, 



When the Most High divided to 
the nations their inheritance, when 
he separated the sons of Adam, he 
set the bounds of the people ac- 
cording to the number of the chil- 
dren of Israel. Deut. 32:8. 



Ps. 75 : 4-7. 
Acts 17 : 26, 27. 
Matt. 22 : 18-22. 



Let every soul be subject unto 
the higher powers. For there is 
no power but of God : the powers 
that be are ordained of God. 

Rom. 13 : 1-7. 

I Sam. 2 :g. 
I Sam. 14 :6. 

In every nation he that feareth 
him, and worketh righteousness, is 
accepted with him. 

Acts 10:34, 35. 

Upon her forehead was a name 
written, MYSTERY, BABYLON 
THE GREAT, THE MOTHER 
OF HARLOTS AND ABOMI- 
NATIONS OF THE EARTH. 
Rev. 17 : 5. 



69 



70 



STORY OF DANIEL, THE PROPHET. 



Hab. 1 : 5-13, 
Isa. 10 : 1-16. 
Ps. 33 : 15-17. 

Behold, all souls are mine ; as 
the soul of the father, so also the 
soul of the son is mine : the soul 
that sinneth, it shall die. 

Eze. 18:4. 

The wages of sin is death ; but the 
gift of God is eternal life through 
'Jesus Christ our Lord. 

Rom. 6:23. 

Dan. 4 : 17. 

Yet had he no wages, nor his 
army, for Tjrrus, for the service 
that he had served against it : 
therefore thus saith the Lord God ; 
Behold, I will give the land of 
Egypt unto Nebuchadnezzar king 
of Babylon ; and he shall take her 
multitude, and take her spoil, and 
take her prey ; and it shall be the 
wages for his array. I have given 
him the land of Egypt for his labor 
wherewith he served against it, 
because they wrought for me, saith 
the Lord God. Eze. 29 : 18-20. 

In whose hand is the soul of 
every living thing, and the breath 
of all mankind. Job. 12 : 10. 

What could have been done more 
to my vineyard, that I have not 
done in it? wherefore, when I 
looked that it should bring forth 
grapes, brought it forth wild 
grapes? Isa. 5 •.4. 

Isa. 14 : 4-6. 

We would have healed Babylon, 
but she is not healed. 

'Jer. 51 :9. 

Jer. 18 : 7, 8. 
Eze. II : 14-16. 
Isa. 13 : 1-15. 
Amos 3 : 7. 

Ihe secret of the Lord is with 
them that fear him ; and he will 
show them his covenant. 

Ps. 25 : 14. 



SO the perversion of the principles of the govern- 
ment of heaven made the strongest of earthly- 
kingdoms. Built so that it was difficult for 
beings who were watching the progress of events 
to detect error, God, who never deals arbitrarily 
with men or angels, not even with Satan himself, 
allowed the Babylonian kingdom to run its natu- 
ral course, that the world might have an object- 
lesson, and know forever after that truth brings 
life, but that the least perversion of truth, no 
matter how slight, brings death. 

In order to vindicate Himself before the uni- 
verse, God bestowed all manner of blessings 
upon this earthly kingdom which Satan boast- 
ingly claimed as his own. Wisdom was given 
to the people of Babylon, the Holy Watcher 
protected the king on his throne, and God gave 
power to the ruler in battle, making him a con- 
queror. It was God who caused the tree to 
reach unto heaven, and gave strength and 
beauty to its branches. Everything by way of 
warning and entreaty was used by Infinite Wis- 
dom to cause the Babylonians to see the differ- 
ence between the true and the false, and lead 
them to choose the true. It is one of the most 
forcible commentaries in earth's history on the 
care of God for all, even the veriest sinner. 

Had Babylon taken the proffered help, she 
would, in spite of all the power of Satan as 
prince of this world, have linked her throne 
with the throne of God, and would have been 
an everlasting kingdom. How easily might the 
history of the world have been changed ! 

People living in these, last days, whether they 
be Christians or not, need not remain ignorant 
concerning their duty toward the civil govern- 



LAST YEARS OF THE BABYLONIAN KINGDOM. 71 



merit. Nations can not plead ignorance concern- 
ing their duty toward Christians, toward other 
nations, nor toward God, for the prophecies of 
Daniel explain it all. It is a book for rulers as 
well as for the common people. Babylon is an 
object-lesson to the nations which are in exist- 
ence to-day. Her growth was according to the 
laws of the growth of nations ; her failures de- 
scribe the failures which are made to-day, and 
her destruction is a description of the end of all 
earthly kingdoms. 

Nations have a time of probation, as do indi- 
viduals. A record is kept of national events, 
and when the cup of iniquity is full, destruction 
comes, and another power, more vigorous, be- 
cause less corrupt, takes its place. "The Most 
High ruleth in the kingdom of men," whether 
He is recognized or not, and things which, to 
human eyes, appear to have happened by chance, 
are directly under the control of the Holy 
Watcher. 

The study of the book of Daniel demands, 
therefore, that we take time to trace the history 
of Babylon as a nation. 

A period of about twenty-five years intervenes 
between the close of the fourth and the opening 
of the fifth chapter. The reign of Nebuchad- 
nezzar closed shortly after the restoration of 
his reason, as related in the fourth chapter. 
From a worldly point of view, his had 
been a long and prosperous reign, and 
at its close there were no signs of weak- 
ening in the empire. Nebuchadnezzar had 
a son of age to fill the place of his 
father. No one questioned his right to the 
throne, and while they mourned the death of 



Now all these things happened 
unto them for ensamples : and they 
are written for our admonition, 
upon whom the ends of the world 
are come. i Cor. lo : n. 

Eccl. I :9. 
Jer. 51:63,64. 
Rev. 18 : 21. 

The Lord said, Because the cry 
of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, 
and because their sin is very griev- 
ous ; I will go down now, and see 
whether they have done altogether 
according to the cry of it, which 
is come unto me; and if not, I will 
know. Gen. i8 :2o, 21. 

Up, get you out of this place ; 
for the Lord will destroy this city. 
Gen. ig : 14. 
Dan. 10 : 20. 

Thou art my battle ax and weap- 
ons of war : for with thee will I 
break in pfeces the nations, and 
with thee will I destroy kingdoms ; 
and with thee will I break in pieces 
the horse and his rider ; and with 
thee will I break in pieces the char- 
ot and his rider. 

Jer. 51 : 20-23, 

Dan. 4:36, 37. 
Jer. 28 : 14. 

y It shall come to pass, that the 
nation and kingdom which will not 
serve the same Nebuchadnezzar the 
king of Babylon, and will not put 
their neck under the yoke of the 
king of Babylon, that nation will I 
punish, saith the Lord, with the 
sword, and with the famine, and 
with the pestilence, until I have 
consumed them by his hand. 

Jer. 27 : 5-8. 

Dan. 2 : 47. 
Dan. 3 : 28. 
Dan. 4:37. 
Jer. 39 : 11-14. 
Jer. 44 : 30. 

Before I was afflicted I went 
astray : but now have I kept thy 
work. Ps. 119 :67. 



72 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



Though he were a Son, yet 
learned he obedience by the things 
which he suffered. Heb. 5 : 8. 

It is good for me that I have been 
afflicted ; that I might learn thy 
statutes. Ps. iig : 71. 

It is the land of graven images, 
and they are mad upon their idols. 
Jer. 50 :38. 

Ephraim is joined to idols : let 
him alone. Hosea 4 : 17. 




Jehoiachin in prison. 

It came to pass in the seven and 
thirtieth year of the captivity of 
Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the 
twelfth month, on the seven and 
twentieth day of the month, that 
Evil-Merodach king of Babylon in 
the year that he began to reign did 
lift up the head of Jehoiachin king 
of Judah out of prison ; and he 
spake kindly to him, and set his 
throne above the throne of the 
kings that were with him in Baby- 
lon ; and changed his prison gar- 
ments : and he did eat bread con- 
tinually before him all the days of 
his life. And his allowance was a 

continual allowance given him of 
the king, a daily rate for everyday 
all the days of his life. - 

2 Kings 25 : 27-30. 

Blessed are the merciful: for they 
shall obtain mercy. Matt. 5 : 7. 



Nebuchadnezzar, apparently the subjects had 
much reason to rejoice over the succession of the 
son. In the eyes of Heaven this history was a 
checkered one. There had been periods when a 
desire to know the right and rule justly were 
written opposite the name of the king. But 
these were followed by still longer periods when 
the voice of the Divine One was altogether 
unheeded. There was a record of wonder- 
ful providences, rich blessings, and bitter 
trials, all having one object, — to turn the 
minds of the world to the only Source 
of life and power. If Heaven ever 
grows weary watching the struggles of 
nations, what must have been the bur- 
den as they saw this kingdom repeat- 
edly choose the course which was lead- 
ing to inevitable ruin. 

Evil-merodach, the son of Nebu- 
chadnezzar, is mentioned but twice in 
the Scriptures, and in each case ref- 
erence is made to one act of his life. It 
seems strange that such a father should be 
followed by a son of whom so little is recorded, 
but it is gratifying to notice that when the 
silence is broken, it is to relate a deed of kind- 
ness. In the first year of his reign he took from 
prison Jehoiachin, the former king of Jerusalem, 
a man now fifty years of age, who had lan- 
guished in bonds since a boy of eighteen. The 
Jewish ex-ruler was given clothing and a king's 
provisions, and exalted above other kings in 
Babylon all the remainder of his days. 

Evil-merodach had been raised in the Babylo- 
nian court, and had known of the Jews and their 
history from his youth up. It would not be an 



LAST YEARS OF THE BABYLONIAN KINGDOM. 73 



impossible thing that Daniel, made chief of the 
Chaldean wise men by Nebuchadnezzar, had 
been the instructor of the prince. While details 
are omitted, true it is that for some reason the 
destruction of Babylon was delayed beyond the 
reign of Evil-merodach. His brief reign- of two 
years was followed by an unsettled period, a most 
dangerous experience in a monarchy. 

Finally Nabonadius, 
the son-in-law of Nebu- 
chadnezzar, 




Then the king made Daniel a 
great man, and gave him many 
great gifts, and made him ruler 
over the whole province of Baby- 
lon, and chief of the governors over 
all the wise men of Babylon. 

Dan. 2 : 48. 



Blessed is he that considereth the 
poor : the Lord will deliver him in 
time of trouble. The Lord will 
preserve him, and keep him alive ; 
and he shall be blessed upon the 
earth : and thou wilt not deliver 
him unto the will of his enemies. 
The Lord will strengthen him upon 
the bed of languishing : thou wilt 
make all his bed in his sickness. 
I said. Lord, be merciful unto me, 
heal my soul ; for I have sinned 
against thee. But thou, O Lord, be 
merciful unto me, and raise me up, 
that I may requite them. By this I 
know that thou favorest me, be- 
cause mine enemy doth not triumph 
over me. Ps. 41 : i-ii. 



Jehoiachin at the king's table. 



was seated on the throne, and about the year 
541 he associated with him his son Belshaz- 
zar. The two reigned conjointly until the de- 
struction of the kingdom in 538 b. c. This 
youth, the grandson of the great Nebuchadnez- 
zar, soon proved himself to be headstrong, way- 
ward, cruel, and dissolute. 

Daniel was no longer retained in the court. 
The time of his dismissal is not stated, but in 
the third year of Belshazzar's reign, he was liv- 
ing at Shushan, the capital of Elam, some dis- 
tance east of Babylon, and it was at that place 
that he saw the vision which the eighth chapter 
of the book of Daniel relates. 



All nations shall serve him, and 
his son, and his son's son, until the 
very time of his land come : and 
then many nations and great kings 
shall serve themselves of him. 

Jer. 27 : 7. 



Belshazzar, whiles he tasted the 
wine, commanded to bring the 
golden and silver vessels which his 
grandfather Nebuchadnezzar had 
taken. Dan. 5 : 2 [margin]. 



Dan. 5:1. 
Jer. 51 : 60-64. 



In the third year of the reign of 
king Belshazzar a vision appeared 
unto me, even unto me Daniel, 
after that which appeared unto me 
at the first. Dan. 8 : i 



74 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



Flee out of the midst of Babylon, 
and deliver every man his soul : 
be not cut off in her iniquity ; for 
this is the time of the Lord's ven- 
he will render unto her a 



geance ; 
recompense. 



Jer. SI :6. 



After this I beheld, and, lo, a 
great multitude, which no man 
could number, of all nations, and 
kindreds, and people, and tongues, 
stood before the throne, and before 
the Lamb, clothed with white 
robes, and palms in their hands. 
Rev. 7 : g. 



Rev. 18:4. 

Ex. I :8. 

Lam. 4 :6, 18, 19. 

Jer. 29:4-7. 

Jer. 25 : II, 12. 

Jer. 29 : 10. 

2 Chron. 36 : 21. 



Moreover also I gave them my 
sabbaths, to be a sign between me 
and them, that they might know 
that I am the Lord that sanctify 
them. And hallow my sabbaths ; 
and they shall be a sign between 
me and you, that ye may know that 
I am the Lord your God. 

Eze. 20 : 12, 16, 20. 

Her people fell into the hand of 
the enemy, and none did help her : 
the adversaries saw her, and did 
mock at her sabbaths. 

Lam. I : 7. 

The ways of Zion do mourn, be- 
cause none come to the solemn 
feasts : all her gates are desolate : 
her priests sigh, her virgins are 
afflicted; and she is in bitterness. 
Her princes are become like harts 
that fiind no pasture, and they are 
gone without strength before the 
pursuer. Lam. i : 2-6. 



Ps. 137 : 1-6. 
Jer. 50 • 17. 



During the reign of Nabonadius and Belshaz- 
zar, events of the greatest importance occurred. 
To . the Jews who accepted the words of the 
prophets whom God sent, rising up early and 
sending, the downfall of the kingdom in the 
near future was well known. In spite of their 
own oppression, there was a world to be warned, 
and as the host of the redeemed gather about 
the throne of God, made up, as it will be, of 
representatives of every nation, kindred, tongue, 
and people, there will be some souls from ancient 
Babylon, who, having heard the proclamation of 
the message, separated from her sins, and were 
saved. 

As the knowledge of God was lost by the rul- 
ing monarchs, and God-fearing men were no 
longer among the counselors, the oppression of 
the Jews became almost unbearable. 

On goii)g into Babylon, they had been in- 
structed by the Lord to build houses and plant 
vineyards, to marry and increase in numbers, 
and to pray for the peace and prosperity of 
Babylon, for their captivity would last seventy 
years. The people of God had the observance 
of the Sabbath of the fourth commandment to 
preserve their peculiarity and keep them from 
mingling with the heathen. The time came 
when the Babylonians, who were sun-worshipers, 
mocked the Jews because of the Sabbath. They 
were forbidden to celebrate their feasts ; priests 
and rulers were degraded and persecuted. The 
Babylonians often demanded songs from the 
Jews. " They that wasted us required of us mirth, 
saying. Sing us one of the songs of Zion;" but 
their hearts were mournful. " Israel is a scat- 
tered sheep," wrote Jeremiah; *'the lions have 



LAST YEARS OF THE BABYLONIAN KINGDOM. 75 



driven him away ; . . . Nebuchadnezzar king of 
Babylon hath broken his bones." The Babylo- 
nians boasted that it was no sin to oppress the 
Jews, reasoning that God had placed the He- 
brews in bondage because of their sins. 

It is little wonder that the yoke was hard to 
bear and that the king was unrelenting. It was 
a time of trouble, a foretaste of the great time 
of trouble through which the people of God 
will pass before the second coming of the Sa- 
viour. Both periods are called by the same 
name, — the time of Jacob's trouble^ — by the 
prophet Jeremiah. Under these trying circum- 
stances the Jews were obliged to preach the 
gospel which they once had the opportunity to 
give with power from Jerusalem. 

Groaning beneath oppression, they taught 
of the coming Messiah, the deliverer ; they 
taught righteousness by faith, and the everlast- 
ing gospel, the hour of God's judgment, the 
fall of Babylon, and the destruction of those 
upon whom was found the mark of the Babylo- 
nian worship The spirit of prophecy, as be- 
longing to the Jews, was known to the Babylo- 
nians throughout the period of captivity. 
Daniel, in the presence of the king, had 
more than once received divine enlightenment. 
Ezekiel was sending messages broadcast from 
the Lord, and Jeremiah had received word from 
God with the command to make it known to all 
the nations round about. There was no hiding 
the fact that the God of the Jews had prophets 
among His people. It was in this way that not 
only the Jews, but Moab, Edom, Tyre and 
Sidon, Ammon, Egypt, Arabia, and even Media 
and Persia knew that the fall of Babylon was 



Their adversaries said, We of- 
fend not, because they have sinned 
against the Lord, the habitation of 
justice, even the Lord, the hope of 
their fathers. Jer. 50 : 7. 

Dan. g : 16. 
Jer. 2 :3. 

Thus saith the Lord ; We have 
heard a voice of trembling, of fear, 
and not of peace. Ask ye now, and 
see whether a man doth travail with 
child? wherefore do I see every 
man with his hands on his loins, as 
a woman in travail, and all faces 
are turned into paleness? Alas! 
for that day is great, so that none 
is like it : it is even the time of 
Jacob's trouble ; but he shall be 
saved out of it. Jer. 30 : 3-9. 

Their Redeemer is strong; the 
Lord of hosts is his name : he shall 
thoroughly plead their cause. 

Jer. 50:33,34. 

Behold, the days come, saith the 
Lord, that I will raise unto David 
a righteous Branch, and a King 
shall reign and prosper, and shall 
execute judgment and justice in 
the earth. . . . This is his name 
whereby he shall be called, THE 
LORD OUR RIGHTEOUS- 
NESS. Jer. 23 : 5, 6. 

He shall destroy the sinners 
thereof out of it. Every one that 
is found shall be thrust through ; 
and every one that is joined unto 
them shall fall by the sword. 

Isa. 13 : 6-22. 



Then I 


spake 


unto 


the 


;m of the 


captivity 


all the 


things 


that the 


Lord had 


showed 


me. 










Eze. 


II 


•.24,25. 


Isa. 21 : 


9- 








Jer. 51 : 


8, 6, 35, 


.47. 






Dan. 2 : 


36. 








Dan. 4 : 


24. 








Dan. 7 ; 


; I. 








Eze. 27 


:i,2. 








Eze. 29 


:2, 3. 








Eze. 25 


:2,3- 








Jer. 25 ; 


; 15-28. 








Isa. 44 ; 


;28. 








Isa. 45 ; 


:i,2. 








Isa. 14: 


13- 









76 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 





Go up, O Elam : besiege, O Me- 
dia ; all the sighing thereof have I 
made to cease. Isa. 21:2. 



Jer. 51 : 11, 28. 



Moab hath been at ease from his 
youth, and he hath settled on his 
lees, and hath not been emptied 
from vessel to vessel, neither hath 
he gone into captivity : therefore 
his taste remained in him, and his 
scent is not changed. Therefore, 
behold, the days come, saith the 
Lord, that I will send him wan- 
derers, that shall cause him to 
wander, and shall empty his ves- 
sels, and break their bottles. 



Jer. 48 : II, 12. 



2 King 5 : 2-4. 
Dan. 2 : 49. 



The grates were closed and the seigebesan.'i 

decreed. Many of these nations, and 
the Persians among the number, knew 
just what kingdom would be used to 
destroy Babylon, and the name of the 
man whom God had chosen to accom- 
plish the overthrow. 
Such are the messages which God sent, and 
thus it was that He made use of His people. 
Those whom He could not use when granted 
peace and prosperity and a city of their own, He 
used when slaves under the iron heel of Baby- 
lon. Babylon was like a city on the edge of a 
volcanic crater, but she believed it not. In the 
year 539 b. c, the combined forces of the 
Medes and Persians started toward Baby- 
lon. The news reached the city that the 
enemy was on the march. Then it was that the 
message came to flee from the city and be as 
goats upon the mountainside. Jews who heeded 
the word of the Lord, then withdrew from Baby- 
lon. But the Persian army did not come. His- 
tory says that Cyrus was stopped by the death 
of a sacred white horse, which was drowned in 
crossing a river. Cyrus set his men to digging 



LAST YEARS OF THE BABYLONIAN KINGDOM. jy 



channels for the river, spending one year in this 
way. Prophecy says, **The walls of Babylon 
shall fall. My people, go ye out of the midst 
of her, and deliver ye every man his soul. . . . 
And lest your heart faint, and ye fear for the 
rumor that shall be heard in the land ; a rumor 
shall both come one year, and after that in an- 
other year, shall come a rumor, and violence in 
the land, ruler against ruler." 

And so it was ; one spring the rumor came, 
but the army failed to appear. The careless and 
unbelieving scoffed, but to the believing this was 
the opportune time. The next spring the rumor 
came again, but there was no time then to sell 
or prepare to leave, for the army came also, and 
the Babylonian and Medo-Persian forces met in 
open battle. The Babylonians were defeated, 
and retired within the fortifications of the city. 

The gates were closed and the siege began. 
Those who were now in Babylon must live or 
die with the Babylonians, except God stay the 
hand of the destroyer. 

The climax was reached by the greatest of 
earthly governments. All heaven was alive with 
anxiety. Only man was asleep to his impending 
destruction. 



Lest your heart faint, and ye fear 
for the rumor that shall be heard 
m the land ; a rumor shall both 
come one year, and after that in an- 
other year shall come a rumor, and 
violence in the land, ruler against 
ruler. Jer. 51:46. 

At the noise of the taking of 
Babylon the earth is moved, and 
the cry is heard among the nations. 
Jer. 50 : 46. 

I will render unto Babylon and 
to all the inhabitants of Chaldea 
all their evil which they have done 
in Zion in your sight, saith the 
Lord. Jer, 51 :24. 

Knowing this first, that there 
shall come in the last days scoffers, 
walking after their own lusts. 

2 Peter 3 : 3 . 

The king of Babylon hath heard 
the report of them, and his hands 
waxed feeble : anguish took hold 
of him, and pangs as of a woman 
in travail. Jer. 50 : 43. 

The land shall tremble and sor- 
row : for every purpose of the Lord 
shall be performed against Babylon, 
to make the land of Babylon a des- 
olation without an inhabitant. 

Jer. 51 :29. 

Thou earnest them away as with 
a flood ; they are as a sleep : in the 
morning they are like grass which 
groweth up. Ps. 90 : 5. 




CHAPTER VI. 



THE HANDWRITING ON THE WALL. 

CHAPTER 5. 



7. Belshazzar the king made a 
great feast to a thousand of his 
lords, and drank wine before the 
thousand. 

2. Belshazzar, whiles he tasted 
the wine, commanded to bring the 
golden and silver vessels which his 
father Nebuchadnezzar had taken 
out of the temple which was in Je- 
rusalem; that the king, and his 
princes, his wives, and his concu- 
bines, might drink therein. 

3. Then they brought the golden 
vessels that were taken out of the 
temple of the house of God which 
was at Jerusalem; and the king, 
and his princes, his wives, and his 
concubines, drank in them. 

4. They drank wine, and praised 
the gods of gold, and of silver, of 
brass, of iron, of wood, and of 
stone. Dan. 6 : 1-4. 

All the vessels of gold and of sil- 
ver were five thousand and four hun- 
dred. Ezra I : II. 

78 



It was the last night of a nation's existence, 
but the people knew it not. Some slept in un- 
conscious peace ; some reveled and whirled away 
in thoughtless dance. In the dens of Babylon, 
men steeped in vice continued their wild orgies ; 
in the palace halls Belshazzar feasted with a 
thousand of his lords. Music resounded through 
the brilliantly lighted rooms. The nobles lounged 
about the tables sumptuously spread. Court 
women and concubines of the king entered those 
halls. It was a feast of Bacchus, and they drank 
to the health of the king on his throne. He 
ordered that the sacred vessels be brought from 
the temple to show that no being, human or 
divine, could raise a hand against him, the king 
of Babylon. The golden cup filled with wine 
was raised and the blessing of Bel invoked, but 



THE HANDWRITING ON THE WALL. 



79 



it never reached the lips of the half-intoxicated 
king. His hand was stayed. Those vessels had 
been moulded by hands divinely skilled, and af- 
ter heavenly models. Angels had watched them 
as they were taken from the temple at Jerusa- 
lem and carried to Babylon. Messengers di- 
vinely appointed had guarded them, and their 
very presence in the heathen temple was a wit- 
ness of the God of the Jews. Some day the 
silence would be broken. The desecration of 
His temple would not always remain unpunished. 

That time came when the king lifted the gob- 
let filled with sparkling wine. His hand grew 
stiff, for on t,he opposite wall, over against the 
lights, was a bloodless hand, writing words of 
an unknown language. The winecup fell to the 
floor; the king's countenance grew pale; he 
trembled violently, and his knees smote together 
until the gorgeous girdle of his loins loosened 
and fell aside. The loud laughter ceased, and 
the music died away. Terror-stricken, a thou- 
sand guests looked from the face of the king 
to the writing on the wall. 

The Chaldean astrologers and soothsayers 
were called, but the writing was meaningless 
to them. They who taught all earthly lan- 
guages failed to recognize the language of 
heaven. The four strange characters remained 
as at first seen, emblazoned in letters of fire 
on the wall. 

For days the siege of Babylon had been on. 
The gates were closed and her walls were con- 
sidered impregnable, while within the city were 
provisions for twenty years. But however 
strong she might seem, God had said, " Though 
Babylon should mount up to heaven, and though 



A thousand chargers of silver. 
Ezra I : 9. 

And look that thou make them af- 
ter their pattern, which thou wast 
caused to see in the mount. 

Ex. 25 :4o [margin]. 

Ex. 31 :2-7. 

Ex. 25 : 9, 40. 



The voice of them that flee and 
escape out of the land of Babylon, 
to declare in Zion the vengeance of 
the Lord our God, the vengeance of 
his temple. Jer. 50 :28. 

Jer. 50 : 24-28. 

Jer. 51 :ii. 

5. In the same hour came forth 
fingers of a man's hand, and wrote 
over against the candlestick upon 
the plaister of the wall of the 
king's palace; and the king saw 
the part of the hand that wrote. 

6. Then the king's countenance 
was changed, and his thoughts 
troubled him, so that the joints of 
his loins were loosed, and his knees 
smote one against another. 

Dan. 6:6, 6. 
Isa. 21 :3-s. 

7. The king cried aloud to bring 
in the astrologers, the Chaldeans, 
and the soothsayers. And the king 
spake, and said to the wise men of 
Babylon, Whosoever shall read this 
writing, and show me the interpre- 
tation thereof, shall be clothed 
with scarlet, and have a chain of 
gold about his neck, and shall be 
third ruler in the kingdom. 

8. Then came in all the king's 
wise men: but they could not read 
the writing, nor make known to the 
king the interpretation thereof. 

9. Then was king Betshazzar 
greatly troubled, and his counte- 
nance was changed in him, and his 
lords were astonied. 

Dan. 6 : 7-9. 
Isa. 45 : 1-3. 
Jer. SI : 53. 



8o 



STORY OF DANIEL. THE PROPHET. 



Except the Lord build the house, 
they labor in vain that build it : ex- 
cept the Lord keep the city, the 
watchman waketh but in vain. 

Ps. 127 : 1. 

Behold, I will shake mine hand 

upon them, and they shall be a spoil 

to their servants : and ye shall know 

that the Lord of hosts hath sent me. 

Zech. 2 :q. 

Lift not up your horn on high : 
speak not with a stiff neck. For 
promotion cometh neither from the 
east, nor from the west, nor from 
the south. But God is the judge : 
be putteth down one, and setteth 
up another. Ps. 75 : 4-7. 

We are made a spectacle unto the 
world, and to angels, and to men. 
I Cor. 4 : 9. 

Gen. 7 : 7-9. 

The Lord hath opened his ar- 
mory, and hath brought forth the 
weapons of his indignation : for this 
is the work of the Lord God of hosts 
in the land of the Chaldeans. 

Jer. 50:25. 

Jer. 51:25. 
Isa. 13 : 1-5. 



Isa. 45 : 1-4. 
Isa. 43 : 1-3. 

Set ye up a standard in the land, 
blow the trumpet among the na- 
tions, prepare the nations against 
her, . . . prepare against her 
the nations with the kings of the 
Medes, the captains thereof, and all 
the rulers thereof, and all the land 
of his dominion. Jer. 51 : 27, 28. 

That saith to the deep. Be dry, 
and I will dry up thy rivers. 

Isa. 44 : 27. 

A draught is upon her waters ; 
and they shall be dried up. 

Jer. 50:38. 

10. Now the queen by reason of 
the words of the king and his lords 
came into the banquet house : and 
the queen spake and said, king, 
live forever: let not thy thoughts 
trouble thee, nor let thy counte- 
nance be changed: 



she should fortify the height of her strength, 
yet from me shall spoilers come unto her." 

The strongest strongholds which man can 
build are crushed like a dying leaf when the 
hand of God is laid upon them. But this was 
a lesson which the rulers of Babylon had not 
yet learned. The father of iniquity, who was 
urging these rulers forward into deeper sin, had 
not yet owned the weakness of his cause. 
Heaven and unfallen worlds' watched the prog- 
ress of affairs in this great city, for it was the 
battle-ground of the two mighty forces of good 
and evil. Christ and Satan here contended. 

Angels, unseen by human eyes, as when they 
gathered the animals into the ark before the flood, 
had mustered forces against Babylon. God was 
using men who knew Him not as God, but who 
were true to principle and wished to do right. 
To Cyrus, the leader of the Persian army, which 
was now outside the city walls, God had said 
that He held his hand to make him strong. Be- 
fore you " I will loose the loins of kings." I 
will open those two-leaved gates, and the gates 
shall not be shut ; *' I will go before thee and 
make the crooked places straight : I will break 
in pieces the gates of brass and cut in sunder 
the bars of iron." 

While Belshazzar and his lords drank and 
feasted, the army of Cyrus was lowering the 
waters in the bed of the Euphrates, preparatory 
to entering the city. 

As the Chaldeans were unable to read the 
writing on the wall, the king's terror increased. 
He knew that this was a rebuke of his sacrile- 
gious feast, and yet he could not learn the exact 
meaning. Then the queen-mother remembered 



THE HANDWRITING ON THE WALL. 



8i 



Daniel, who had **the Spirit of the holy gods," 
and who had been made master of the wise meii 
in the days of Nebuchadnezzar as the result of 
interpreting the king's dream. 

Daniel, the prophet of God, was called to the 
banquet room. As he came before Belshazzar, 
the monarch promised to make him third ruler 
in the kingdom if he would interpret the writ- 
ing. The prophet, with the quiet dignity of a 
servant of the most high God, stood before 
the gorgeous, terror-stricken throng that bore 
evidence of intemperate feasting and wicked 
revelry.. 

In Israel, children were named under the in- 
spiration of the Spirit of God, and the name 
was an expression of character. When God 
changed a name, as in the case of Abraham, 
Jacob, or Peter, it was because of a change of 
character in the individual. True to the name 
given him by his mother, Daniel — God's judge 
— again appears to vindicate the truth. Nebu- 
chadnezzar had called him Belteshazzar, in 
honor of the Babylonian god Bel, but to the 
last this Hebrew, who knew the Lord, remained 
true to his God-given name, as shown in the 
twelfth verse of this chapter. He did not speak 
with flattering words, as the professedly wise 
men of the kingdom had done, but he spoke the 
truth of God. It was a moment of intensity, 
for there was but a single hour in which to 
make known the future. Daniel was now an 
old man, but he sternly disclaimed all desire for 
rewards or honor, and proceeded to review the 
history of Nebuchadnezzar, and the Lord's deal- 
ings with that ruler, — his dominion and glory, 
his punishment for pride of heart, and his sub- 
6 



11. There fs a man in thy king- 
dom, in whom is the spirit of the 
holy gods; and in the days of thy 
father light and understanding 
and wisdom, liite the wisdom of 
the gods, was found in him; whom 
the king Nebuchadnezzar thy 
father, the king, I say, thy father, 
made master of the magicians, 
astrologers, Chaldeans, and sooth- 
sayers; 

12. Forasmuch as an excellent 
spirit, and knowledge, and under- 
standing, interpreting of dreams, 
and showing of hard sentences, 
and dissolving of doubts, were 
found in the same Daniel, whom 
the king named Belteshazzar: now 
let Daniel be called, and he will 
show the interpretation. 

13. Then was Daniel brought in 
before the king. And the king 
spake and said unto Daniel, Art 
thou that Daniel, which art of the 
children of the captivity of Judah, 
whom the king my father brought 
out of Jewry? Dan. 5 : 10-13. 

Gen. 17 : 5. 
Gen. 32 :28. 
John I :42. 
Acts 4 : 36. 

14. I have even heard of thee, 
that the spirit of the gods is in 
thee, and that light and under- 
standing and excellent wisdom is 
found in thee. 

16. And now the wise men, the 
astrologers, have been brought in 
before me, that they should read 
this writing, and make known 
unto me the interpretation thereof: 
but they could not show the inter- 
pretation of the thing: 

16. And I have heard of thee, 
that thou canst make interpreta- 
tions, and dissolve doubts: now if 
thou canst read the writing, and 
make known to me the interpreta- 
tion thereof, thou shalt be clothed 
with scarlet, and have a chain of 
gold about thy neck, and shalt be 
the third ruler in the kingdom. 

17. Then Daniel answered and 
said before the king, Let thy gifts 
be to thyself, and give thy rewards 
to another ; yet I will read the 
writing unto the king, and make 
known to him the interpretation. 



82 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



18. thou king, the most high 
God gave Nebuchadnezzar thy 
father a kingdom, and majesty, 
and glory, and honor: 

19. And for the majesty that he 
gave him, all people, nations, and 
languages, trembled and feared be- 
fore him: whom he would he slew; 
and whom he would he kept aliue; 
and whom he would he set up; and 
whom he would he put down. 

20. But when his heart was 
lifted up, and his mind hardened 
in pride, he was deposed from his 
kingly throne, and they took his 
glory from him : 

21. And he was driven from the 
sons of men; and his heart was 
made like the beasts, and his 
dwelling was with the wild asses: 
they fed him with grass like oxen, 
and his body was wet with the dew 
of heaven; till he knew that the 
most high God ruled in the king- 
dom of men, and that he appoint- 
eth over it whomsoever he will. 

Dan. 6 : 14-21. 

For in him we live, and move, 
and have our being. Acts 17 : 28, 

22. And thou his son, Belshaz- 
zar, hast not humbled thine heart, 
though thou knewest all this; 

23. But hast lifted up thyself 
against the Lord of heaven; and 
they have brought the vessels of 
his house before thee, and thou, 
and thy lords, thy wives, and thy 
concubines, have drunk wine in 
them; and thou hast praised the 
gods of silver, and gold, of brass, 
iron, wood, and stone, which see 
not, nor hear, nor know: and the 
God in whose hand thy breath is, 
and whose are all thy ways, hast 
thou not glorified: 

Dan. 5:22,23. 
Job 31:6, 

24. Then was the part of the 
hand sent from him; and this 
writing was written. 

Dan. 5:24. 

Ps. 62:9. 

I Sam. 2 : 3. 

25. And this is the writing that 
was written, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, 
UPHARSIN. 



sequent acknowledgment of the mercy arid 
power of the God who created the heavens 
and the earth. He rebuked Belshazzar for his 
departure from true principles, and for his great 
wickedness and pride. 

"And thou, his son, O Belshazzar, hast not 
humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all 
this ; but hast lifted up thyself against the Lord 
of heaven ; . . . and the God in whose hand 
thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast 
thou not glorified." Straightforward and strong 
were the words of Daniel. Belshazzar had trod- 
den on sacred ground ; he had laid unholy hands 
on holy things ; he had severed the ties which 
•bind heaven and earth together ; and there was 
no way for that life-giving Spirit of God to reach 
him or his followers. Day by day his breath 
had been given him,* a symbol of the spiritual 
breath, but he praised and thanked the gods of 
wood and^ stone. His every motion had been 
by virtue of the power of the God of heaven, 
but he had prostituted that power to an unholy 
cause. *' Then was the part of the hand sent 

from Him ; and this writting was written." 
What he could not see written in his own breath 
and muscles, what he could not read in his own 
heart-beats, God wrote in mystic characters on 
the palace wall, over, against the candlestick. 

The people waited with bated breath as Dan- 
iel turned to the writing on the wall, and read 
the message traced by the angel hand. The 
hand had been withdrawn, but four terrible 
words remained. The prophet announced their 
meaning to be : " Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin: 
. . . God hath numbered thy kingdom, and fin- 
ished it: . . . thou art v/eighed in the balances. 




The handwriting on the wall. 



THE HANDWRITING ON THE WALL. 



83 



and art found wanting: . . . thy kingdom is 
divided, and given to the Medes and Persians." 

In deaUng with men God always uses a lan- 
guage which appeals forcibly to their under- 
standing. This is illustrated in the handwriting 
on the wall. It is a common belief among idol- 
aters that the gods weigh deeds in balances, and 
that if the good deeds outweigh the evil, the 
individual enters into his reward ; if the oppo- 
site result is obtained, punishment follows. The 
language, therefore, was familiar to King Bel- 
shazzar. ** God hath numbered thy kingdom; 
. . . thou art weighed in the balances, and art 
found wanting." To the magicians who stood 
within hearing, as Daniel gave the interpreta- 
tion, the words came with peculiar force because 
of their familiarity with religious customs. 

To the one who knows God, the attitude of 
the Lord toward the sinner is very different, 
and still the symbol of the weights and balances 
is applicable. That this subject might be under- 
stood, God had sent an explanation by the 
prophet Ezekiel. When a man sins and dies 
without repentance, he is cut off from God, be- 
cause his iniquities separate between him and 
God, and he cannot be saved. If a man loves 
Christ and accepts Him and His righteousness, 
Christ's character is written opposite the name 
of that man in the books of heaven, and so long 
as a love of the truth is cherished, the man 
hides in Christ and is known by the character 
of Christ. God deals with men in the present. 
We may have been the worst of sinners, but if 
to-day we are hidden in Christ, heaven takes 
into account only our present position. 

So it was that God dealt with the nations, 



2Q. This is the Interpretation of 
the thing: MENE ; God hath num- 
bered thy liingdom, and finished it. 
Dan 6: 26, 26. 

Prov. 6:2, II, 



27. TEKEL ; Thou art weighed in 
the balances, and art found want- 
ing. Dan. 6 : 27. 

Say unto them, As I live, saith 
the Lord God, I have no pleasure in 
the death of the wicked ; but that 
the wicked turn from his way and 
live : turn ye, turn ye from your evil 
ways ; for why will ye die, O house 
of Israel? . . . When I shall 
say to the righteous, that he shall 
surely live ; if he trust to his own 
righteousness, and commit iniquity, 
all his righteousness shall not be re- 
membered ; but for his iniquity that 
he hath committed, he shall die for 
it. Again, when I say unto the 
wicked. Thou shalt surely die ; if he 
turn from his sin, and do that which 
is lawful and right ; . . . none 
of his sins that he hath committed 
shall be mentioned unto him : he 
hath done that which is lawful and 
right ; he shall surely live. 

Eze. 33 : 10-16. 

They received not the love of the 
truth, that they might be saved. 
2 Thess. 2 : 10. 

Wherefore I say unto thee, Her 
sins, which are many, are forgiven ; 
for she loved much : but to whom 
little is forgiven, the same loveth 
little. Luke 7 : 47. 

Where sin abounded, grace did 
much more abound. Rom. 5 : 20. 
I John I : g. 

I acknowledged my sin unto thee, 
and mine iniquity have I not hid. 
I said, I will confess my transgres- 
sions unto the Lord ; and thou for- 
gavest the iniquity of my sin. Se- 
lah. Ps. 32 :5. 

He that covereth his sins shall 
not prosper : but whoso confesseth 
and forsaketh them shall have 
mercy. Prov. 28 : 13. 



84 



STORY OF DANIEL, THE PROPHET. 



At what instant I shall speak con- 
cerning a nation, and concerning a 
kingdom, to pluck up, and to pull 
down, and to destroy it ; if that na- 
tion, against whom I have pro- 
nounced, turn from their evil, I will 
repent of the evil that I thought to 
do unto them. And at what instant 
I shall speak concerning a nation, 
and concerning a kingdom, to build 
and to plant it ; if it do evil in my 
sight, that it obey not my voice, 
then I will repent of the good, 
wherewith I said I would benefit 
them. Jer. i8 : 7, 10. 



Zech. 4:11, 12. 



28. PERES; Thy kingdom is di- 
vided, and giuen to the Medes and 
Persians. 

29. Then commanded Belshaz- 
zar, and they clothed Daniel with 
scarlet, and put a chain of gold 
about his nech, and made a proc- 
lamation concerning him, that he 
should be the third ruler in the 
kingdom. Dan. 6 : 28, 29. 



A sword is upon the Chaldeans, 
saith the Lord, and upon the inhab- 
itants of Babylon, and upon her 
princes, and upon her wise men. A 
sword is upon the liars ; and they 
shall dote : a sword is upon her 
mighty men ; and they shall be dis- 
mayed. A sword is upon their 
horses, and upon their chariots, and 
and upon all the mingled people 
that are in the midst of her ; at the 
noise of the taking of Babylon the 
earth is moved, and the cry is heard 
among the nations. 

Jer. 50:35-46. 



and this answers the question why Nebuchad- 
nezzar might one day be in favor with God and 
the next day be in condemnation; why Zede- 
kiah's course of action was condemned once, 
and then again he was told that it lay in his 
power to save Jerusalem. 

God gave the Babylonian monarchs, and 
through them the entire kingdom, an abun- 
dance of time to accept Him. He waited long. 
The Holy Watcher hovered long near the center 
of earthly governments ; every blessing which 
Heaven could bestow was given to woo the 
kingdom to the side of right. But at last the 
slender cord which connected earth with heaven 
snapped ; there was no channel for the flow of 
the Holy Spirit ; death and death only could 
result. That there might be no misunderstand- 
ing, the last word read, **Thy kingdom is di- 
vided, and given to the Medes and Persians." 

Scarcely had the scarlet robe been placed on 
Daniel and the golden chain hung about his 
neck, when the shouts of the invading army 
rang through the palace. 

In the midst of their feasting and rioting, 
none had noticed that the waters in the Euphra- 
tes were steadily dirninishing. The besieging 
army of Cyrus, which had long been held at 
bay by the massive walls, was eagerly watching 
the river. The river had been turned from its 
course, and as soon as the water had sufficiently 
subsided to allow the men a passage in the bed 
of the river, they entered from opposite sides 
of the city. In their reckless feeling of secu- 
rity, the Babylonians had left open the gates in 
the walls which lined the river-banks inside the 
city. So the Persians, once in the river-bed, 



TFIE HANDWRITING ON THE WALL. 



8? 



easily entered the city through" the open gates. 

Soon one post was running to "meet an- 
other, and one messenger to meet another," 
to show the king of Babylon that his city is 
taken at one end." But the news was received 
too late to save the king. God had numbered 
and finished his kingdom. The enemy made 
a rush for the pal- 
ace. The pen of 
Inspiration d e 
scribes the over 
throw of the 
kingdom more 
vividly than any 
human historian. 
Of those guests 
at the banquet of 
Belshazzar it is 
said, ** I will make 
them drunken, that 
they may rejoice, 
and sleep a perpet 
ual sleep, and not awake. ... I will bring 
them down like lambs to the slaughter." Then 
as if the eye of the prophet failed to separate 
Satan from the kingdom which he had so long 
controlled, he exclaims, **How is Sheshach 
taken ! and how is the praise of the whole 
earth surprised ! How is Babylon become an 
astonishment among the nations ! " Fire raged 
through the streets, and as the people realized 
that destruction was upon them, their cry 
reached heaven. It was a hand-to-hand fight 
with fire and sword until men grew weary and 
gave up the struggle. 

"In that night was Belshazzar slain," and the 




Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the 
God of Israel : The daughter of 
Babylon is like a threshingfloor, it 
is time to thresh her : yet a little 
while, and the time of her harvest 
shall come. Jer. 51 133. 

God giveth to a man that is good 
in his sight wisdom, and knowledge, 
and joy : but to the sinner he giveth 
travail, to gather and to heap up, 
that he may give to him that is good 
before God. Eccl. 2 : 26. 



Though Babylon should 
mount up to heaven, and 
though she should fortify the 
height of her strength, yet 
from me shall spoilers come 
unto her, saith the Lord. A 
sound of a cry cometh from 
Babylon, and great destruc- 
tion from the land of the 
Chaldeans. . . . Thus saith 
the Lord of hosts ; The broad 
walls of Babylon shall be ut- 
terly broken, and her high gates 
shall be burned with fire ; and the 
people shall labor in vain, and the 
folk in the fire, and they shall be 
weary. Jer. 51 : 53-58. 



Isa. 51:57. 

I will bring them down like lambs 
to the slaughter, like rams with he 
goats. Jer. 51 :4o. 

Jer. 51 : 41. 

I have laid a snare for thee, and 
thou art also taken, O Babylon, and 
thou wast not aware : thou art found, 
and also caught, because thou hast 
striven against the Lord. 

Jer. 50 : 24. 



30. In that night was Belshaz- 
zar the king of the Chaldeans 
slain. 



86 



STORY OF DANIEL, THE PROPHET. 



31. And Darius the Median toof< 
the kingdom, being about three- 
score and two years old. 

Dan. 5:30,31. 



Whoso walketh uprightly shall 
be saved : but he that is perverse in 
his ways shall fall at once. 

Prov. 28 : 18. 



Lord, thou wilt ordain p^ace for 
us : for thou also hast wrought all 
our works in us. Isa. 26 : 12. 

Isa. 45 : 1-3. 

That saith of Cyrus, He is my 
shepherd, and shall perform all my 
pleasure : even saying to Jerusalem, 
Thou shalt be built : and to the tem- 
ple, Thy foundation shall be laid. 
Isa. 44 :28. 

Dan. 8:2. 
Jer. 49 : 39. 
Isa. 21 :2. 



I will dry up thy rivers. 

Isa. 44 :27. 

Isa. 4S : I, 2. 
Jer. 50:38. 
Jer. 51 :36. 



The Lord God of heaven . . . 
hath charged me to build him an 
bouse at Jerusalem. 

Ezra I .' 1-5. 



kingdom was given to Darius, the aged king of 
the Medes. Thus came to an end one of the 
proudest monarchies that has ever been upon 
the earth. When an individual or a nation fills 
up the cup of iniquity and passes the limit of 
God's mercy, it is quickly humbled in the dust. 

The question naturally arises, Why did not 
the conquering army destroy Daniel, who was 
the third ruler in the kingdom, at this critical 
moment } The answer is simple and natural. 
When the kingdom was taken and Belshazzar 
slain, Nabonadius, the first ruler, at the head of 
an army, was surrounded by the enemy in an- 
other part of the kingdom. This left Daniel 
sole ruler in Babylon. He, knowing that over 
one hundred years before, Isaiah had prophesied 
that Cyrus should take the kingdom, was ready 
to welcome him whom God had said should 
build the house of the Lord at Jerusalem. 

There is also good reason to believe that 
Daniel and Cyrus were not strangers. When 
excluded from the council of Belshazzar, Daniel 
had spent a portion of his time at Shushan, the 
capital of Elam. Elam had revolted from 
Babylon, in fulfillment of the prophecy of 
Jeremiah. 

Daniel may have formed an acquaintance with 
Cyrus, and showed to him, as the high priest 
did to Alexander on a certain occasion, the 
prophecy that pertained to himself, and also re- 
vealed to him the way God had said he should 
enter Babylon. It is evident from the wording 
of the decree given in the first chapter of Ezra, 
that Cyrus was familiar with these prophecies. 

God gives continual opportunities for His 
people to prepare the way for blessings to come 



THE HANDWRITING ON THE WALL. 



87 



to them, when they are walking in the light. 
God is never taken by surprise, but His Word 
is a lamp to the feet and a guide to the life. 
This illustrates the importance of God's peo- 
ple "knowing the time" in which they live 
from the light of prophecy. There is a Witness 
in every scene of sacrilegious mirth, and the re- 
cording angel writes, ** Thou art weighed in the 
balances, and art found wanting." This same 
Witness is with us wherever we are. Although 
we may feel that we have liberty to follow the 
promptings of the natural heart, and indulge in 
lightness and trifling, yet an account must be 
rendered for these things. As we sow, sO shall 
we reap. 

Nations to-day are repeating the history of 
the last years of the kingdom of Babylon. 
Medo-Persia was the instrument in the Lord's 
hands to punish Babylon. The next great over- 
throw of governments will usher in the king- 
dom of our Lord. For the final battle, nations 
are now mustering their forces. The cry has 
gone forth, " Flee out of the midst of Babylon, 
and deliver every man his soul ; be not cut off 
in her iniquity; for this is the time of the 
Lord's vengeance." 



Ps. 119 : 105. 
Rom. 13 : II. 



There is nothing hid, which shall 
not be manifested ; neither was any 
thing kept secret, but that it should, 
come abroad. Mark 4 : 22. 



Ps. 139 : 1-16. 

I say unto you, That every idle 
word that men shall speak, they 
shall give an account thereof in the 
day of judgment. For by thy words 
thou shalt be justified, and by thy 
words thou shalt be condemned. 
Matt. 12 : 36, 37. 



Who raised up the righteous man 
from the east, called him to his foot, 
gave the nations before him, and 
made him rule over kings ? he gave 
them as the dust to his sword, and 
as driven stubble to his bow. He 
pursued them, and passed safely. 
Isa. 41 : 1-5. 



Jer. 51 :6. 
Eev. 18:4. 




CHAPTER VIL 



DANIEL IN THE LIONS' DEN. 

CHAPTER 6. 



Darius the Median took thd king- 
dom, being about threescore and 
two years old. Dan. 5:31. 



This image's head was of fine 
gold, his breast and his arms of sil- 
ver. . . . And after thee shall 
arise another kingdom inferior to 
thee. Dan. 2 : 32-39. 



Gen. 10:2. 

1 Chron. i !5. 

2 Kings 18: II. 



The first five chapters of the book of Daniel 
relate the history of the kingdom of Babylon. 
With the close of the fifth chapter, the govern- 
ment is transferred to the Medes, of whom 
Darius, known in history as Darius the Mede, 
a man of sixty-two years, is king. With him 
is associated Cyrus, the Persian, the leader of 
the army, and heir to the throne. The time 
represented by the golden head of the image 
has passed, and a baser metal represents the 
rising power. The Medes were not, however, 
a new or unknown power, for they are men- 
tioned in chronology as descendants of Japheth, 
and as early as the eighth century b. c, when 



88 



DANIEL IN THE LIONS' DEN 



89 



Israel was taken captive by the Assyrians, they 
were scattered through the cities of the Medes. 
This had brought the Medes into contact with 
the Jews two centuries before the fail of Baby- 
lon. To their knowledge of the God of the 
Jews may be attributed the purity of their wor- 
ship, for while they were heathens, they had 
never fallen into the gross forms of idolatry 
which were practiced by most of the nations of 
Western Asia. 

^The habits of both the Medes and the Per- 
sians, but more particularly of the Persians, 
brought them in close touch with nature, and 
in their worship they took the elements, — fire, 
earth, water, and air — as the highest manifesta- 
tions of the Deity. They therefore sought a 
hill country, and kept a perpetual fire burning. 
They believed in the struggle between good and 
evil as represented by light and darkness, and 
doubtless the words of Isaiah, which are ad- 
dressed to Cyrus, had this belief in mind, for 
the Lord says, **I form the light and create 
darkness : I make peace, and create evil ; I the 
Lord do all these things " In these words He 
places Himself above the gods of the Persians, 
and explains why He called Cyrus to his strange 
work. 

The Persians at the time of the overthrow 
of Babylon were physically strong and rugged, 
due in great measure to the simplicity of their 
habits and their temperance in eating. Such 
were the conditions which made it possible for 
the Medes and Persians to be the rod in the 
Lord's hand for the punishment of Babylon. 
The organization of the kingdom as effected by 
the Babylonian monarchs is given in the first 



In the ninth year of Hoshea the 
king of Assyria took Samaria, and 
carried Israel away into Assyria, 
and placed them in Halah and in 
Habor by the river of Gozan, and 
in the cities of the Medes. 

2 Kings 17 : 6. 



Isa. 43 : 1-13. 

Who changed the truth of God 
into a lie, and worshiped and served 
the creature more than the Creator, 
who is blessed forever. Amen. 

Rom. I : 19, 20, 25. 



The people still sacrificed and 
burnt incense in the high places. 
2 Kings 12 :3. 

Ye shall utterly destroy all the 
places, wherein the nations which 
ye shall f>ossess served their gods, 
upon the high mountains, and upon 
the hills, and under every green tree. 
Deut. 12 :2. 

Isa. 45 : 7. 

Lo, I will raise and cause to come 
up against Babylon an assembly of 
great nations from the north coun- 
try: and they shall set themselves 
in array against her ; from thence 
she shall be taken : their arrows 
shall be as of a mighty expert man ; 
none shall return in vain. 

Jer. 50:9. 

Make bright the arrows ; gather 
the shields : the Lord hath raised 
up the spirit of the kings of the 
Medes. Jer. 51: 11. 

Lift ye up a banner upon the high 
mountain, exalt the voice unto them, 
shake the hand, that they may go 
into the gates of the nobles. I have 
commanded my sanctified ones, I 
have also called my mighty ones for 
mine anger, even them that rejoice 
in my highness. Isa. 13 : 1-5. 



90 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



In multitude of counsellors there 
is safety. Prov. 24 : 6. 

Prov. 13 :22. 



In the multitude of people is the 
king's honor : but in the want of 
people is the destruction of the 
prince. Prov. 14 : 28. 



1. It pleased Darius to set ouer 
the kingdom a hundred and twenty 
princes, which should be ouer the 
whole liingdom. 

2. And over these three presi- 
dents ; of whom Daniel was first : 
that the princes might give ac- 
counts unto them, and the king 
should have no damage. 

3. Then this Daniel was pre- 
ferred above the presidents and 
princes, because ,an excellent 
spirit was in him; and the king 
thought to set him ouer the whole 
realm. Dan, 6 : 1-3. 

He brought me forth also into a 
large place ; he delivered me, be- 
cause he delighted in me. The 
Lord rewarded me according to my 
righteousness ; according to the 
cleanness of my hands hath he rec- 
ompensed me. Ps. 18 : 19, 20. 

When a man's ways please the 
Lord, he maketh even his enemies 
to be at peace with him. 

Prov. 16 : 7. 

I was at Shushan in the palace, 
which is in the province of Elam. 
Dan. 8:2. 

The king's favor is toward a wise 
servant. Prov. 14:35. 

A man of understanding is of an 
excellent spirit. Prov. 17:27. 

Seest thou a man diligent in his 
business ? he shall stand before 
kings ; he shall not stand before 
mean men. Prov. 21 : 29. 



verse of the sixth chapter, for Darius immedi- 
ately placed one hundred and twenty princes over 
the one hundred and twenty provinces. This 
change in the administration of the government 
of the provinces is highly important, since the 
strength of the ruling monarch is in proportion 
to the sympathy and co-operation of the subject 
princes. It was impossible to maintain a rep- 
resentative government where there were con- 
quered provinces, and peace depended much 
upon the strength of the central organization. 
Over the one hundred and twenty princes were 
the three presidents, of whom Daniel was the 
first. 

It was not after the order of the world that 
Daniel, belonging to a race held in bondage, 
should at once be given one of the highest 
positions in the newly organized government. 
It will appear still more unusual when it is 
remembered that Daniel had been made third 
ruler of the Babylonian kingdom under Bel- 
shazzar. Reference to the first and second 
verses of the eighth chapter of Daniel shows 
that Daniel was not a stranger to the new gov- 
ernment, for before the death of Belshazzar, 
he had lived at Shushan, in the province of 
Elam. To the fact of acquaintanceship it may 
be added that the excellent spirit and unsur- 
passed business ability of Daniel brought him 
into prominence. 

Here is recorded the case of a man who was 
a devout follower of God, one whose honesty, 
accuracy, and skill in every particular were a 
wonder to the world. It is a powerful witness 
to the duties and privileges of every Christian 
business man. He was a noble statesman, an 



DANIEL IN THE LIONS' DEN. 



9J 



example for all office-holders, but not a politi- 
cian. He fulfilled his duties under the Medes 
just as faithfully as under the Babylonians. He 
served the God of heaven, and not a man-made 
party. A business man does not necessarily 
have to be a sharp, policy man, but may be in- 
structed by God at every step. When prime 
minister of Babylon, Daniel, as a prophet of 
God, was receiving the light of heavenly in- 
spiration. The usual type of ^statesman, — 
worldly, ambitious, scheming, — is compared in 
the Scriptures to the grass of the field, and 
to the fading flower. The Lord is pleased to 
have men of intelligence in His work if they 
remain true to Him. Through the grace of 
Christ, man may preserve the integrity of his 
character when surrounded by adverse circum- 
stances. Daniel made God his strength, and 
was not forsaken in his time of greatest need. 

The very position which he occupied put 
Daniel to the severest test. As chairman or 
chief of the presidents over the princes, Daniel 
was obliged to deal with all the under-rulers 
of the empire. One by one they were required 
to render an account to him. This was that 
the king might receive no damage. The king, 
then, was in danger; not in danger of losing 
his life, but these officials were scheming politi- 
cians who were robbing the government in 
every possible way. If they had taxes to 
gather, they turned a large per cent, to their 
own account. There was bribery, cheating, 
wire pulling, and buying of positions in the 
Babylonian government, as there is in the 
world to-day. Dishonesty was found everywhere. 

Inspiration does not describe the iniquity in 



Blessed is the marr that walketh 
not in the counsel of the ungodly, 
nor standeth in the way of sinners, 
nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. 
But his delight is in the law of the 
Lord ; and in his law doth he medi- 



Inter 
Itot into^ 
the paths 
nftheniicfo^d. 
and go tut in 
thetuag of 
evil xatn. 
^^void it pa$s 
itot by it 
turn fro w 
it, and 
pa^^ 
atuay. 

^*'^^^'Prov.4.t4:!5y 



tate day and night. And he shall 
be like a tree planted by the rivers 
of water, that bringeth forth his fruit 
in his season : his leaf also shall not 
wither ; and whatsoever he doeth 
shall prosper, Ps. 1:1-3. 

Whatsoever yp do in word or 
deed, do all in the name of the 
Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God 
and the Father by him. 

Col. 3 : 17. 



Prov. 23 : 17-19. 

Not slothful in business ; fervent 
in spirit ; serving the Lord. 

Rom. 12 : II. 

But now ye rejoice in your boast- 
ings ; all such rejoicing is evil. 

James 4 : 11-16. 



9.2 



STORY OF DANIEL, THE PROPHET. 



These things I have spoken unto 
you, that in me ye might have peace. 
In the world ye shall have tribula- 
tion : but be of good cheer ; I have 
overcome the world. 

John 16:33. 

For man also knoweth not his 
time : as the fishes that are taken in 
an evil net, and as the birds that are 
caught in a snare ; so are the sons of 
men snared in an evil time, when it 
falleth suddenly upon them. 

Eccl. 9 : 12. 

Over these three presidents ; of 
whom Daniel was first : that the 
princes might g^ve accounts unto 
them, and the king should have no 
damage. Dan. 6:2. 

The king by judgment establisheth 
the land : but he that receiveth gifts 
overthroweth it. Prov. 29 : 4. 

Thou shalt not wrest judgment : 
thou shalt not respect persons, 
neither take a gift : for a gift doth 
blind the eyes of the wise, and per- 
vert the words of the righteous. 
Deut. 16 : ig. 

The good man is perished out of 
the earth : and there is none upright 
among men : they all lie in wait for 
blood ; tliey hunt every man his 
brother with a net. That they may 
do evil with both hands earnestly, 
the prince asketh, and the judge 
asketh for a reward ; and the great 
man, he uttereth his mischievous 
desire : so they wrap it up. The 
best of them is as a brier : the most 
upright is sharper than a thorn 
hedge : the day of thy watchman 
and thy visitation cometh ; now 
shall be their perplexity. 

Micah 7 : 2-4. 

Is there anything whereof it may 
be said, See, this is new? it hath 
been already of old time, which was 
before us. Eccl- i : 10. 

Thy princes are rebellious, and 
companions of thieves : every one 
loveth gifts, and followeth after re- 
wards : they judge not the fatherless, 
neither doth the cause of the widow 
come unto them. Isa. i : 23. 

Micah 3:11. 

I Sam. 8 : 1-5. 



detail, but it does say, ** The godly is perished 
out of the earth ; . . . they hunt every man 
his brother with a net. That they may do evil 
with both hands earnestly, the prince asketh, 
and the judge asketh for a reward; and the 
great man, he uttereth his mischievous desire : 
so they wrap it up." The princes and men in 
power not only work mischievously, but they 
work with ^^both hands earnestly y If details 
are wanted, study the governments of to-day. 
They are the off-shoots from that same root 
of Babylon, and by studying the iniquity of 
to-day, we can know the sins against which 
Daniel had tp stand. Even in the best of 
earthly governments, hundreds of thousands of 
dollars are used annually in an unlawful man- 
ner. When $3,500 is paid for a single vote, 
and the individual returns the money because 
he has an offer of ;^3,700 from the other party; 
when the mayor of a city can afford to spend 
three or four times his salary to obtain an office, 
it must be known that money comes from some 
unlawful source. 

Roman history, with its stories of trusts, 
monopolies, and corporations, its bribery in the 
senate and outside the senate, is the history of 
Babylon, for Rome was one of the governments 
which were built upon Babylonian principles. 
French history during the period of the Revo- 
lution repeats the story. The history of Eng- 
land, the continental countries, and the United 
States to-day repeat the same story. So in cur- 
rent history may be read in detail what had 
to be met by the prime minister in the city of 
Babylon. The sixth chapter of Daniel is left 
on record to show how a man of God, when 



DANIEL IN THE LIONS' DEN. 



93 



elevated to such a position, can remain uncon- 
taminated. It shows that attitude which any 
man of God must assume toward popular vice 
and corruption, and more than that, it shows 
what treatment a man who is true to principle 
must expect to receive from the hands of those 
who are corrupt. 

Because Daniel did guard the king's inter- 
ests, Darius was about to set him over the 
whole realm. But the honesty of one man is 
like a thorn in the flesh of the unjust, and in 
their political meetings the princes and presi- 
dents sought to destroy the man who made 
accurate reports, and who was faultless in his 
dealings. *' Render unto Caesar the things that 
are Caesar's," is a principle of divine govern- 
ment, and from this principle Daniel could not 
be swerved. 

One can imagine the language of the princes 
as they discussed the matter. Every scheme 
they had tried had been checked, and yet it 
was generally acknowledged that it would be 
useless to bring a complaint concerning the 
work of Daniel. There was but one possible 
way to condemn him, and that must be concern- 
ing his religion. Even on that point they dared 
not make open accusation, but must accomplish 
their end without revealing their object. Their 
contemptible, under-handed method of proced- 
ure brought them in conflict with the God of 
Daniel, not with Daniel as an individual. 

With manifest respect for the king, and with 
words which flattered him, a committee of the 
princes waited upon Darius. The first words 
they spoke revealed that there was a plan on 
foot, for they said, "All the presidents of the 



From the least of them even unto 
the greatest of them every one is 
given to covetousness. 

Jer. 6:13. 

There is a sore evil which I have 
seen under the sun, namely, riches 
kept for the owners thereof to their 
hurt. Eccl. 5 : 13. 

So I returned, and considered all 
the oppressions that are done under 
the sun : and behold the tears of 
such as were oppressed, and they 
had no comforter ; and on the side 
of their oppressors there was power: 
but they had no comforter. 

Eccl. 4 : 1. 

James 5 : 1-5. 

Eccl. 1 tg, ID, 15. 

Isa. 8 ig-iz. 

Jer. 10 :2, 3, 

Enter not into the path of the 
wicked, and go not in the way of 
evil men. Avoid it, pass not by it, 
turn from it, and pass away. 

Prov. 4: 14, 15. 

The wicked plotteth against the 
just, and gnasheth upon him with 
his teeth. Ps. 37 : 12. 

Prov. 22 : 4. 

They hate him that rebuketh in 
the gate, and they abhor him that 
speaketh uprightly, 

Amos s : 10, 12. 

4. Then the presidents and 
princes sought to find occasion 
against Daniel concerning the 
fiingdom; but they could find none 
occasion nor fault; forasmuch as 
he was faithful, neither was there 
any error or fault found in him. 
Dan. 6 : 4. 

6. Then said these men, We shall 

not find any occasion against this 

Daniel, except we find it against 

him concerning the law of his God. 

Dan. 6:5. 

Thus saith the Lord of hosts ; Af- 
ter the glory hath he sent me unto 
the nations which spoiled you : for 
he that toucheth you toucheth the 
apple of his eye. Zech. 2 : 8. 

6. Then these presidents and 
princes assembled together to the 
king, and said thus unto him, King 
Darius, live forever. 



94 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



7. All the presidents of the 
kingdom, the governors, and the 
princes, the counsellors, and the 
captains, have consulted together 
to establish a royal statute, and 
to make a firm decree, that whoso- 
ever shall ask a petition of any 
God or man for thirty days, save 
of thee, king, he shall be cast 
into the den of lions, 

8. Now, king, establish the de- 
cree, and sign the writing, that it 
be not changed, according to the 
law of the Medes and Persians, 
which altereth not, 

Prov. 24 :s. 

9. Wherefore king Darius signed 
the writing and the decree. 

Dan. 6 : 6-9. 

The Lord's portion is his people ; 
Jacob is the lot of his inheritance. 
Deut. 32 :9. 

I girded thee, though thou hast 
not known me. Isa. 45 : 5. 

Even to your old age I am he ; 
and even to hoar hairs will I carry 
you : I have made, and I will bear ; 
even I will carry, and will deliver 
you. Isa. 46 : 4. 

Job 5 : 26. 



Mark the perfect man, and be- 
hold the upright : for the end of 
that man is peace. Ps. 37 : 37. 

The law of his God is in his 
heart ; none of his steps shall slide. 
Ps. 37:31- 

They are life unto those that find 
them, and health to all their flesh. 
Prov. 4 : 22. 



10. Now when Daniel knew that 
the writing was signed, he went 
into his house ; and, his windows 
being open in his chamber toward 
Jerusalam, he kneeled upon his 
knees three times a day, and 
prayed, and gave thanks before 
his God, as he did afore time, 

Dan, 6 : 10. 



kingdom, the governors," and other officers 
had consulted together, when in truth they 
had held secret meetings, and the chief of 
the presidents was kept in ignorance of the 
matter. 

The king placed great confidence in his prime 
minister, and anything purporting to have his 
approval was accepted without further investi- 
gation. The form of a decree was presented 
to the king. It exalted Darius above all earthly 
monarchs, and attempted^ to place him above 
God. King Darius placed his seal upon the 
document, making it a law of the land, that for 
thirty days no man should bow down or worship 
or ask any petition, save of the king. 

The heart of God was drawn toward Baby- 
lon. Heaven was bound very close to earth, not- 
withstanding the iniquity, for God's chosen 
people were there, and the time of their de- 
liverance drew near. While the Medes and the 
Persians knew about God, they did not know 
Him. An actual experience was needed, and 
God would manifest His power through that 
same faithful servant who had witnessed for 
Him sixty-eight years. 

Daniel was true, noble, and generous. He 
was anxious to be at peace with all men, but 
would not permit any power to turn him aside 
from the path of duty. He was willing to obey 
those who had rule over him ; but kings and 
decrees could not make him swerve from his 
allegiance to the King of kings. He realized 
that compliance with Bible requirements was a 
blessing to both soul and body. 

Daniel was aware of the purpose of his ene- 
mies to destroy his influence and his life; he 



DANIEL IN THE LIONS' DEN. 



95 



knew of the decree, but it made no difference As for me, i win caii upon God r 

1 . iMTr TT T1 .1 • 1^ and the Lord shall save me. Even- 

m his daily hfe. He did nothing unusual to Ing, and momlng, and at noon, win 

provoke wrath, but in a straight-forward manner ^ p^'^y* ^"^. ^"^ ^^"""^ '- ^^^ ^^ shaii 

hear my voice. Ps. 55 : 16, 17. 

performed his accustomed duties, and three 
times a day, at hia usual times for prayer, he 
went into his room, 
and with his win- 
dows open toward 
Jerusalem, ear 



2 Chron. 6 : 36-39. 




Kitisr Darius placed his seal 
upon the document, making: 
It a law of the land, that for 
thirty days no man should 
bow down or worship or ask 
any petition, save of the 
kinsr. 



96 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



On the Sabbath we went out of 
the city by a river side, where prayer 
was wont to be made ; and we sat 
down, and spake unto the women 
which resorted thither. 

Acts i6: 13. 

I am crucified with Christ : never- 
theless I live ; yet not I, but Christ 
liveth in me : and the life which I 
now live in the flesh I live by the 
faith of the Son of God, who loved 
me, and gave himself for me. 

Gal. 2 :2o. 

I Cor. 2 : 14, 

It came to pass in those days, 
that he went out into a mountain to 
pray, and continued all night in 
prayer to God. Luke 6:12. 



W hen he had sent the multitudes 
away, he went up into a mountain 
apart to pray: and when the even- 
ing was come, he was there alone. 
Matt. 14:23. 

That he would grant you, accord- 
ing to the riches of his glory, to be 
strengthened with might by his 
Spirit in the inner man ; that Christ 
may dwell in your hearts by faith ; 
that ye, being rooted and grounded 
in love, may be able to compre- 
hend with all saints what is the 
breadth,"5nd length, and depth, and 
height ; and to know the love of 
Christ, which passeth knowledge, 
that ye might be filled with all the 
fullness of God. Eph. 3 : 16-19. 

Job 37 : 19. 

There hath no temptation taken 
you but such as is common to man : 
but God is faithful, who will not 
suffer you to be tempted above that 
ye are able ; but will with the temp- 
tation also malce a way to escape, 
that ye n5ay be able to bear it. 

1 Cor. ID* 13. 

Be filled with the Spirit. 

Eph. 5 : 18. 

Eph. 2 • 22. 



nestly pleaded with the God of heaven to give 
him strength to be faithful. 

Daniel had a special meeting-place, and an 
appointed hour when he met the Lord, and 
these appointments were kept. There is a 
beauty in the thought of the soul connection 
between Daniel and Heaven. His spiritual life 
was an actual thing, a life which he lived as real ' 
and true as the physical life.. The only life 
which his enemies knew or could comprehend 
was the physical life. To sever the intercourse 
with God would be as painful to Daniel as to 
deprive him of natural life ; and as Christ with- 
drew to the mountains after days of soul-har- 
rowing labor in order to be refilled with that life 
which He constantly imparted to the hungering 
multitudes, so Daniel sought God in prayer. It 
was only by these frequent times of spirit fill- 
ing, as it were, that he had strength to meet 
the nervous strain of his official duties. When 
•the outward pressure was greatest, then he had 
the greatest need of being filled, that the equi- 
librium might be maintained. Fifteen pounds 
to every square inch of surface on the body is 
the pressure under which we live physically. 
Why does it not crush us .? Because the pres- 
sure is equal on all sides, and thus we are un- 
conscious of it. It is but a type of the spirit- 
ual life. He who balances the clouds will so 
balance outward pressure with inward power, if 
we but let Him, that we never need be dis- 
turbed. If trials are great, open the soul to 
Heaven, and equalize the pressure by being 
filled from above. 

Daniel did not and could not deny his Saviour 
by concealing himself in some corner of his 



DANIEL IN THE LIONS'. DEN. 



97 




room to pray. He knelt by the open window, 
toward Jerusalem. He did not pray in his 
heart, silently, he prayed aloud, as had been his 
custom before the decree was issued. Noble 
and true is the one who has God ruling in his 
heart. Unde!"handed and mean are the actions 
of those who yield to the influence 
of Satan. All that is noble in 
man is lost forever when such 
a leader is chosen. Satan was 
in the councils of those officials 
a s they plotted 
against Daniel, 
and after the de- 
cree was signed, 
they set spies 
to catch him. 
They saw h i m 
kneel in his usual 
place of prayer ; 
three times each 
day they heard his l^ '^ " 
voice raised in ear- \ , 
nest supplication. It was 
enough; the accusation was 
made against ^^that Daniel 
which is of the children 
the captivity of Judah." 

For the first time the de- 
sign of the counselors flashed 
across the mind of' Darius, y 
A decree signed by the king's 
seal was unalterable in the king- 
dom of the Medes and Persians, 
yet the king spent the entire day 
pleading with those high in au- 

7 



77. Then these men assembled, 
and found Danie/ praying and ma- 
king supplication before his God. 

12. Then they came near, and 
spake before the king concerning 
the king's decree : Hast thou not 
signed a decree, that every man 
that shall ask a petition of any 
God or man within thirty days. 



of 




To sever the intercourse with Qod would bo 

as painful to Daniel ms to deprive 

him ol natural life. 



98 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



saue of thee, king, shall be cast 
into the den of lions? The king 
answered and said, The thing is 
true, according to the law of the 
Medes and Persians, which alter- 
eth not, 

13. Then answered they and said 
before the king, That Daniel, which 
is of the children of the captivity 
of Juda'.i, regardeth not thee, 
king, nor th^ecree that thou hast 
signed, but maketh his petition 
three times a day. 

Dan. 6:11-13. 



Prov. 6 : 17-19. 
Prov. I : II. 
Jer.- 5 : 26. 

14. Then the king, when he heard 
these words, was sore displeased 
with himself, and set his heart on 
Daniel to deliuer him : and he la- 
bored till the going down of the 
sun to deliuer him. 

16. Then these men assembled 
unto the king, and said unto the 
king, Know, king, that the law of 
the Medes and Persians is. That no 
decree nor statute which the king 
establisheth may be changed. 

Dan. 6 : 14, 15. 

16, Then the king commanded, 
and they brought Daniel, and cast 
him into the den of lions. Now the 
king spake and said unto Daniel, 
Thy God whom thou seruest con- 
tinually, he will deliuer thee. 

17. And a stone was brought, 
and laid upon the mouth of the den; 
and the king sealed it with his own 
signet, and with the signet of his 
lords; that the purpose might not 
be changed concerning Daniel. 

Dan. 6; 16, 17. 



Ps. 57 : 1-5. 
Matt. 27:63-66. 
Acts 2 : 24. 



Daniel at this time was about 
eighty-five years of age. 



thority, and searching for some way of es- 
escape ; but with Satanic smiles those princes 
met every argument with the words, " Know, 
O king, that the law of the Medes and Persians 
is, That no decree or statute which the king 
establisheth may be changed." 

When the hands of men are tied, when there 
is no power on earth to help, then is God's op- 
portunity. And Daniel's prayer still ascended : 
" It is time for Thee, Lord, to work. Keep me 
in perfect harmony with Thee " While his 
own heart was in sympathy with Heaven, there 
was no power on earth that could deprive him 
of his life, if God desired him to live. 

Daniel and Darius met at the mouth of the 
lions' den, but there was not another man in the 
realm so fitted to go inside as this same Daniel. 
Pressing the hand of his esteemed minister, 
Darius said, "Thy God whom thou servest con- 
tinually. He will deliver thee." Daniel passed 
into the midst of the wild beasts of the forest, 
and a stone was brought and laid upon the 
mouth of the den. Probably some feared that 
friends and sympathizers of Daniel might come 
to the rescue, so the seal of the king was placed 
upon the stone, that the purpose might not be 
changed. 

Satan exulted as he did years later when he 
saw the Son of God in the sepulcher, with a 
stone before the door, and the stone sealed with 
the Roman seal. But there was no more power 
to hold Daniel in the den of lions than to keep 
Christ in the grave. The angel came, not 
to the stone, but into the den, and one of 
the most precious times for Daniel was when 
he sat in the center of the cave, and those lions 




"Is thy God . . . able to deliver thee from the lions?" 



DANIEL IN THE LIONS' DEN, 



99 



couched at his feet or fondly licked his hands. 

There was a time when the lion and the lamb 
played together, and man was given dominion 
over the beasts of the earth. It was only after 
sin entered, and man took the life of the beasts, 
that they in turn sought to destroy man. Har- 
mony with God will finally restore man to his 
God-given place as king over the beasts. Dan- 
iel's heart was beating with the heart of God, 
and when he entered the den, the beasts were 
at peace with him. The unity of feeling is 
shown in the fact that an angel was visible, 
and Daniel talked face to face with the heavenly 
visitor. 

But the king's heart was sad, and he spent the 
night in fasting and prayer. Hastening to the 
den in the early hours of the morning, he called: 
*' O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy 
God, whom thou servest continually, able to 
deliver thee from the lions.?" And from the 
recesses of the den came the words of cheer, 
**My God hath sent His angel, and hath shut 
the lions' mouths." 

*'He is not here, but risen." "Why seek ye 
the living among the dead.? " said the angel, as 
the women came to the sepulcher of Christ. 
So no manner of hurt was found upon Daniel, 
the representative of Christ, "because he be- 
lieved in his God;" because innocency was 
found in him. 

When Daniel's accusers were cast into the 
lions' den, they were crushed and devoured at 
once. Again the nations of the world saw the 
power of Israel's God to preserve His faithful 
people. Darius had his belief in God confirmed ; 
and Cyrus had received a lesson he could not 



Mark i : 13. 
Gen. I :28. 
Gen. 2:19, 20. 



At destruction and famine thou 
shalt laugh : neither shalt thou be 
afraid of the beasts of the earth. 
For thou shalt be in league with the 
stones of the field : and the beasts 
of the field shall be at peace with 
thee. Job 5 : 22-27. 

In that day will I make a cove- 
nant for them with the beasts of the 
field, and with the fowls of heaven, 
and with the creeping things of the 
ground. Hos. 2 : 18. 

The angel of the Lord encamp- 
eth round about them that fear him, 
and delivereth them. Ps. 34 : 7. 

18. Then the king went to his 
pa/ace, and passed the night fast- 
ing : neither were instruments of 
music brought before him : and his 
sleep went from him. 

19. Then the fiing arose very 
early in the morning, and went in 
haste unto the den of lions. 

20. And when he came to the 
den, he cried with a lamentable 
voice unto Daniel: and the fiing 
spaf{e and said to Daniel, Daniel, 
servant of the living God, is thy 
God, whom thou seruest contin- 
ually, able to deliver thee from 
the lions? 

21. Then said Daniel unto the 
king, king, live forever, 

22. My God hath sent his angel, 
and hath shut the lions' mouths, 
that they have not hurt me: foras- 
much as before him innocency was 
found in me ; and also before thee, 
king, have I done no hurt. 

23. Then was the king exceeding 
glad for him, and commanded that 

. they should take Daniel up out of 
the den. So Daniel was taken up 
out of the den, and no manner of 
hurt was found upon him, because 
he believed in his God. 

24. And the king commanded, 
and they brought those men which 
had accused Daniel, and they cast 
them into the den of lions, them, 



LOFa 



100 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



their children, and their wives; 
and the lions had the mastery of 
them, and braiie all their bones in 
pieces or euer they came at the 
bottom of the den. 

Dan. 6 . 18-24. 
Blessed is the man that endureth 
temptation : for when he is tried, he 
shall receive the crown of life, which 
the Lord hath promised to them 
that love him. Jas. i : 12. 



25. Then king Darius wrote unto 
all people, nations, and languages, 
that dwell in all the earth ; Peace 
be multiplied unto you. 

26. I make a decree, That in ev- 
ery dominion of my kingdom men 
tremble and fear before the God of 
Daniel: for he is the living God, 
and steadfast forever, and his 
kingdom that which shall not be 
destroyed, and his dominion shall 
be even unto the end. 

27. He delivereth and rescueth, 
and he worketh signs and wonders 
in heaven and in earth, who hath 
delivered Daniel from the power of 
the lions. 

28. So this Daniel prospered in 
the reign of Darius, and in the 
reign of Cyrus the Persian. 

Dan. 6:25-28. 



Evil men and seducers shall wax 
worse and worse, deceiving, and 
being deceived. 2 Tim. 3 : 13. 

I will ransom them from the 
power of the grave ; I will redeem 
them from death : O death, I will 
be thy plagues ; O grave, I will be 
thy destruction. Hos. 13 : 14. 



Isa. 26 : ig. 
John 10 : 10. 



soon forget. It was a fresh token to the Israel- 
ites that God was in their midst to bless them. 
To Daniel came the voice of God promising 
patience and strength to perform his duties as 
a servant of God. Greater light came to Dan- 
iel, for it was after this experience that a large 
portion of the prophecies were given to him. 

Darius published to *'all people, nations, and 
languages, that dwell in all the earth," "that 
in every dominion of my kingdom men tremble 
and fear before the God of Daniel." Thus God 
not only honored Daniel by a most miraculous 
deliverance, but his integrity was the means of 
publishing the truth throughout the world. 
From this time Daniel prospered — during the 
reign of Darius, and in the reign of Cyrus, who 
issued the wonderful decreq for the deliverance 
of the Jews. 

If sick at heart because of the seeming 
prosperity of the wicked and the increase of 
wickedness among men in high places, learn 
their fate from the sixth chapter of Daniel. 

If oppressed because of adherence to the 
Word of God, remember that Daniel repre- 
sents all such, and what was done for him will 
be done for all whom Heaven favors to-day. 
Though death claim the body, the promise of 
God is a speedy resurrection ; and whether in 
death, in prison, or in a den of lions, Satan has. 
no power over Christ. "I am come that ye 
might have life, and that ye might have it more 
abundantly." 




CHAPTER VIIL 



THE SEVENTH CHAPTER OF DANIEL. 



THE JUDGMENT SCENE. 



The first half of the book of Daniel deals 
with questions pertaining particularly to the 
kingdom of Babylon as it existed in the days 
of the prophet. The last six chapters aro de- 
voted entirely to the history of the world as a 
whole, and in visions given at various times, the 
prophet is shown the great events until the end 
of time. Looking into the future, he sees, as 
it were, the mountain peaks lighted with the 
glory of God, and these striking features are 
noted with unerring accuracy to serve as guide- 
posts, not to the Jews only, but to all people, 
that they may understand the times in which 
they live, and know what is about to come on 
the earth. 

To the student of prophecy, the seventh chap- 
ter of Daniel is a most important record. By 
a continuous chain of events, the prophet gives 



Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, 
the beauty of the Chaldees' excel- 
lency. Isa. 13 : 19. 

Surely the Lord God will do 
nothing, but he revealeth his secret 
unto his servants the prophets. 

Amos 3 : 7. 



I will show thee that which is 
noted in the scripture of truth. 

Dan. 10:21, 



Counsel is mine, and sound wis- 
dom : I am understanding ; I have 
strength. By me kings reign, and 
princes decree justice. By me 
princes rule, and nobles, even all 
the judges of the earth. 

Prov. 8 : 14-16. 



When ye therefore shall see the 
abomination of desolation, spoken 
of by Daniel the prophet, stand in 
the holy place (whoso readeth, let 
him understand). Matt. 24 : 15. 



lOI 



I02 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



There is a God in heaven that re- 
vealeth secrets, and maketh known 
to the king Nebuchadnezzar what 
shall be in the latter days. 

Dan. 2 : 28. 



Dan. 2 131-35. 
Dan. 7 :9-i4. 



God shall judge the righteous and 
the wicked : for there is a time there 
for every purpose and for every 
work. Eccl. 3 : 17. 



The secret things belong unto the 
Lord our God : but those things 
which are revealed belong unto us 
and to our children forever, that we 
may do all the words of this law. 
Deut. 29 : 29. 



1. In the first year of Belshazzar 
king of Babylon Daniel had a dream 
and visions of his head upon his 
bed : then he wrote the dream, and 
told the sum of the matters. 

Dan. 7 : 1. 



Righteousness keepeth him that 
is upright in the way : but wicked- 
ness overthroweth the sinner. 

Prov. 13 :6. 



Look that thou make them after 
their patteni, which thou wast 
caused to see. 

Ex. 25 :40 [margin]. 



Till Moses had done speaking 
with them, he put a vail on his face. 
Ex, 34:29-33. 



It is written. Eye hath not seen, 
nor ear heard, neither have entered 
into the heart of man, the things 



the history from the days of Babylon to the 
great investigative judgment, which is the cen- 
tral theme of the chapter. 

The fact that God could open the future to 
a heathen king was remarkable. To Nebu- 
chadnezzar the future of earthly governments 
only was shown, because he himself was earthly, 
and was incapable of grasping higher things ; 
but to Daniel God opened scenes in heaven. 
Although the prophet was shown the history 
of nations, the angel of revelation touched 
briefly on those subjects, but lingered on the 
soul-thrilling description of the investigative 
j udgment. 

The seventh chapter of Daniel reveals the 
future of God's people, not only of the Hebrew 
nation, but the true, the spiritual Israel. This 
vision was given to Daniel in the first year of 
the reign of Belshazzar, about 540 b. c. The 
mere giving of this view bears the strongest 
testimony to the results of Daniel's education 
when a youth, to his steadfastness of purpose, 
and his growth in spiritual things. At the age 
of eighty-five, after sixty-seven years of court 
life, with all its allurements, and the natural 
tendency of human nature to sink to a purely 
physical existence, his eye of faith was so un- 
dimmed that at the bidding of Michael, Gabriel 
could carry Daniel into heaven itself, there to 
behold the Father and the Son in the final work 
of the sanctuary above. Moses once saw these 
things from the top of Mount Horeb when the 
tabernacle was to be built, and so great was 
the glory that he had to veil his face before 
common people could behold him. Daniel's 
heart was with God, hence things which eye 




The four beasts. 



THE SEVENTH CHAPTER OF DANIEL. 



103 



hath not seen nor ear heard, could be revealed 
to him by the Spirit. 

God said by the prophet Hosea, "I have 
spoken by the prophets, and I have multiplied 
visions, and used similitudes, by the ministry of 
the prophets." The kingdoms which have ruled 
the world were represented before Daniel as 
beasts of prey, which arose when the **four 
winds of the heaven strove upon the great 
sea." Winds are, in prophecy, a symbol of war 
and strife. The after-scenes of war and revo- 
lution, by which kingdoms come into power, are 
represented in the seventh chapter of Daniel 
by the four winds of heaven which strove 
upon the great sea. Sea or waters denote 
"people, and multitudes, and nations, and 
tongues." The beasts referred to represent 
kings or kingdoms. 

Four great beasts came up from the sea ; that 
is, they arose into prominence from the midst 
of the multitudes of earth. In other words, 
there was war among the nations, and four king- 
doms arose, diverse from one another. Babylon, 
the first of these kingdoms, was represented to 
Nebuchadnezzar as the golden head of the great 
image. To Daniel the same power appeared as 
a lion, having eagles* wings. The strength of 
the monarch of the forest, to which is added 
the swiftness of the king of birds, is taken to 
represent the kingdom of which the city of 
Babylon was the capital. Over fifty years be- 
fore, Jeremiah had spoken of the Babylonian 
power as a lion. 

Before Babylon was known as an independent 
kingdom, while it was still a subject province of 
Assyria, Habakkuk, a prophet of Israel, had 



which God hath prepared for them 
tliat love him. But God hath re- 
vealed them unto us by his Spirit : 
for the Spirit searcheth all things, 
yea, the deep things of God. 

I Cor. 2 :9, 10. 

Hosea 12 : 10. 



2. Daniel spake and said, I saw 
in my vision by nigfit, and, behold, 
the four winds of the heajen stroue 
upon the great sea. Dan. 7 .-2. 

I scattered them with a whirlwind 
among all the nations whom they 
knew not. Zech. 7 : 14. 

Jer. 25 :32, 33. 

Isa. 8:7. 

He saith unto me, The waters 
which thou sawest, are peoples, and 
multitudes, and nations, and 
tongues. Rev. 17 : 15. 



Dan. 7 : 17, 23. 



3. And four great beasts came 
up from the sea, diverse one from 
another. Dan. 7 : 3. 



Thou art this head of gold. 

Dan. 2 : 38. 

Dan. 2 132, 38. 

4. The first was like a lion, and 
had eagle's wings. I beheld till 
the wings thereof were plucked, 
and it was lifted up from the 
earth, and made stand upon the 
feet as a man, and a man's heart 
was given to it. Dan. 7 : 4. 



Behold the land of the Chaldeans; 
this people was not, till the Assyr- 
ian founded it for them that dwell 
in the wilderness ; they set up the 
towers thereof, they raised up the 
palaces thereof. Isa. 23 : 13. 

JIab. I : 6-10. 



104 



STORY OF DANIEL, THE PROPHET. 



I was wroth with my people, I 
have polluted mine inheritance, and 
given them into thine hand : thou 
didst show them no mercy ; upon 
the ancient hast thou very heavily 
laid thy yoke. Isa. 47 : 6. 

What time she lifted up herself 
on high, she scorneth the horse 
and his rider. Job 39 : 18. 

Tliou hast trusted in thy wicked- 
ness : thou hast said. None seeth 
me. Thy wisdom and thy knowl- 
edge, it hath perverted thee : and 
thou hast said in thine heart, I am, 
and none else beside me. 

Isa. 47 : 10. 

Thy terribleness hath deceived 
thee, and the pride of thine heart, 

thou that dwellest in the clefts of 
the rock, that boldest the height of 
the hill : though thou shouldest 
make thy nest as high as the eagle, 

1 will bring thee down from thence, 
saith the Lord. Jer. 49 : 16. 



The mighty men of Babylon have 
forborn to fight, they have re- 
mained in their holds : their might 
hath failed ; they became as women: 
they have burned her dwelling- 
places ; her bars are broken. 

Jer. 51 :3o. 

Jer. 17:9. 



These two things shall come to 
thee in a moment in one day, the 
loss of children, and widowhood ; 
they shall come upon thee in their 
perfection for the multitude of thy 
sorceries, and for the great abun- 
dance of thine enchantments. 

Isa. 47 :g. 



Hab. I : II. 
Dan. 5 : 1-4. 



It is the' land of graven images, 
and they are mad upon their idols. 
Jer. 50 : 38. 



been given a view of its work which shows the 
force of the symbol of a lion with eagles' wings. 
Speaking to Israel, he tells them of a work so 
wonderful that they will not believe it when 
told. " Lo, I raise up the Chaldeans, that bitter 
and hasty nation, which shall march through 
the breadth of the land, to possess the dwelling 
places that are not theirs. They are terrible 
and dreadful. . . . Their horses also are swifter 
than the leopards, and are more fierce than the 
evening wolves. . . . X^ey shall fly as the eagle 
that hasteth to eat. They shall come all for 
violence ; . . . they shall gather the captivity 
as the sand. And they shall scoff at the kings, 
and the princes shall be a scorn unto them ; 
they shall deride every stronghold." 

This is Babylon as Habakkuk saw it. While 
Daniel watched the same kingdom in his vision, 
the noble lion with its wings, denoting power 
and rapidity of conquest, had been lifted up 
from the earth into an unnatural position, and 
made to stand upon its feet as a man, and a 
man's heart was given to it. Man's heart with- 
out Christ is simply sin. The wings were shorn, 
and then Babylon was represented as it existed 
at the time of the vision, bereft of its strength, 
abandoned by God, with Belshazzar standing at 
the head of the government. 

The prophet Habakkuk gives the reason for 
this sudden weakening of the mighty power of 
Babylon. He says, "Then shall his mind 
change, and he shall pass over, and offend, im- 
puting his power unto his god!.' The history 
of the kingdom as given in previous chapters 
shows how and when this was done. Babylon 
committed the unpardonable sin by imputing 



THE SEVENTH CHAPTER OF DANIEL. 



105 



the power and Spirit of God to the gods of 
the heathen. In this act the Hon was shorn of 
its strength, the wings were plucked, and a 
man's heart was given to it. A few years after 
this vision, in the year 538 b. c, Daniel was a 
witness to the complete overthrow of the king- 
dom. 

The Medo-Persian kingdom was bloodthirsty 
and cruel in its nature, and is represented by a 
bear. Darius was a Mede ; and Cyrus, the lead- 
ing general, a Persian. Darius the Mede took 
the Babylonian kingdom, and ruled for a short 
time. Cyrus the Persian was the leading spirit 
in the government after Darius had passed 
away. The bear, as well as the other beasts 
which followed the lion, represented kingdoms 
yet in the future at the time Daniel saw the 
vision. The bear of the seventh chapter of 
Daniel symbolizes the same power as the ram 
of the eighth chapter which the angel there 
tells the prophet represented the Medo-Persian 
empire. The history of this empire, given in 
the eleventh chapter of the book of Daniel, and 
the study of that chapter together with the 
thirteenth and twenty-first chapters of Isaiah 
and the book of Esther, will reveal the bear- 
like character of the nation which arose and 
devoured much flesh. The history of the sec- 
ond great kingdom covers the years from 538 
to 331 B. c. 

After the Medo-Persian kingdom arose and 
fell, there came forth another kingdom of an 
entirely diferent nature from that represented 
by the bear. In the explanation of the vision 
of the eighth chapter of Daniel, the angel 
plainly states that the nation following Media 



They clothed Daniel with scar- 
let, and put a chain of gold about 
his neck, and made a proclamation 
concerning him, that he should be 
the third ruler in the kingdom. In 
that night was Belshazzar the king 
of the Chaldeans slain. And Da- 
rius the Median took the kingdom, 
being about threescore and two 
years old. Dan. 5 : 29-31. 

Behold, I will stir up the Medes 
against them, which shall not re- 
gard silver ; and as for gold, they 
shall not delight in it. Their bows 
also shall dash the young men to 
pieces ; and they shall have no pity 
on the fruit of the womb ; their eye 
shall not spare children. 

Isa. 13 : 17, 18. 

5. And behold another beast, a 
second, like to a bear, and it raised 
up itself on one side, and it had 
three ribs in the mouth of it be- 
tween the teeth of it: and they 
said thus unto it. Arise, devour 
much flesh. Dan. 7 : 6. 



The ram which thou sawest hav- 
ing two horns are the kings of Me- 
dia and Persia. Dan. 8 : 20. 



The letters were sent by posts 
into all the king's provinces, to de- 
stroy, to kill, and to cause to perish, 
all Jews, both young and old, little 
children and women, in one day, 
even upon the thirteenth day of the 
twelfth month, which is the month 
of Adar, and to take the spoil of 
them for a prey. Esther 3:13. 



A grievious vision is declared unto 
me ; the treacherous dealer dealeth 
treacherously, and the spoiler spoil- 
eth. Go up, O Elam: besiege, O 
Media. Isa. 21:2. 



io6 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



6. After this I teheld, and lo an- 
other, like a leopard, which had 
upon the back of it four ivings of 
a fowl ; the beast had also four 
heads ; and dominion was given to 
it. Dan. 7 : 6. 



When he shall stand up, his king- 
dom shall be broken, and shall be 
divided toward the four winds of 
heaven ; and not to his posterity, 
nor according to his dominion which 
he ruled : for his kingdom shall be 
plucked up, even for others beside 
those. Dan. ii '.2-4. 



The rough goat is the king of 
Grecia : and the great horn that is 
between his eyes is the first king. 
Now that being broken, whereas 
four stood up for it, four kingdoms 
shall stand up out of the nation, 
but not in his power. 

Dan. 8 :zi, 22. 



Everyone that asketh receiveth ; 
and he tliat seeketh findeth ; and to 
him that knocketh it shall be opened. 
Luke I i : 10. 



7. After this I saw in the night 
visions, and behold, a fourth beast, 
dreadful and terrible, and strong 
exceedingly; and it had great iron 
teeth : it devoured and brake in 
pieces, and stamped the residue 
with the feet of it : and it was di- 
verse from all the beasts that were 
before it ; and it had ten horns. 

8. I considered the horns, and, 
behold, there came up among them 
another little horn, before whom 
there were three of the first horns 
plucked up by the roots ; and, be- 
hold in this horn were eyes like the 
eyes of man, and a mouth speaking 
great things. Dan. 7 : 7, 8. 



and Persia is Grecia. The Grecian kingdom, 
which followed Media and Persian, is compared 
to the sprightliness of a leopard in its natu- 
ral state. This not being sufficient to repre- 
sent the rapidity of the conquests of Alexan- 
der, the first king, the leopard had on its back 
four wings of a fowl. It also had four heads, 
which symbolized the division of Alexander's 
empire after his death, when four of his gen- 
erals took his kingdom and dominion was given 
to them. Alexander's power is represented by 
the goat with the notable horn, which stamped 
all beneath its feet, as described in the eighth 
chapter of Daniel. 

The history of the first three kingdoms is but 
lightly touched upon in this chapter, but when 
the fourth beast, "dreadful and terrible, and 
strong exceedingly," appeared, Daniel *' would 
know the truth," and the angel explained that 
power minutely. 

The three preceding powers were symbolized 
by three of the mightiest beasts of the earth, 
but when the fourth beast was considered, there 
was no animal with a character to represent its 
terrible nature ; so a beast without name having 
iron teeth, brass nails, and ten horns, was pre- 
sented to the prophet. 

The angel said to Daniel, **As concerning 
the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion 
taken away ; yet their lives were prolonged." 
Each one, before being destroyed, was merged 
into the succeeding one, and its characteristic 
principles are . represented in succession until 
the end of time. This is clearly shown in the 
second chapter of Daniel, where the gold, silver, 
brass, iron, and clay are broken to pieces to- 



THE SEVENTH CHAPTER OF DANIEL. 



10/ 



gether and blown away like the chaff, when all 
earthly nations are destroyed. The same truth 
was represented in the fourth chapter, when the 
tree representing Babylon was cut down, but 
the roots remained in the ground. The roots 
represented the foundation principles upon which 
Babylon was built, and they have remained 
in the earth ever since. When Medo-Persia 
fell, she left her principles of government, edu- 
cation, and religion still alive, transmitting them 
to her posterity, the nations of earth. Greece 
did likewise, and with each succeeding empire 
those foundation principles, so clearly portrayed 
in Babylon, which were placed there by the 
prince of the power of the air, instead of ap- 
pearing in a weakened state, sprang into life 
with renewed vigor. So it was that when the 
fourth kingdom appeared, those same princi- 
ples of government, which were the counterfeit 
of heaven's underlying principles, were so strong 
that no natural beast could symbolize even 
pagan Rome. 

Rome in religion renewed all the religious 
errors of Babylon, and in education she perpet- 
uated the errors of Greece, while in cruelty she 
followed in the footsteps of Media and Persia. 
But as the prophet watched, things still more 
wonderful appeared. The fourth beast, repre- 
senting Rome, which succeeded Greece in 
i6i B. c, had ten horns, which, said 
the angel, " are ten kings that shall 
arise." This fourth beast is identical with 
the legs of iron in the image shown to Nebu- 
chadnezzar, and the ten horns correspond to the 
mixture of iron and clay in the feet of that 
image. Each of the preceding kingdoms had 



Hew the tree down, and destroy 
it ; yet leave the stump of the roots 
thereof in the earth. Dan. 4 : 23. 

Rom. II : 18. 

9. I beheld till the thrones were 
cast down, and the Ancient of days 
did sit, whose garment was white 
as snow, and the hair of his head 
like the pure wool : his throne was 
lif<e the fiery flame, and his wheels 
as burning fire. Dan. 7 : 9. 

A little leaven leaveneth the 
whole lump. Gal. 5 :q. 

There is hope of a tree, if it be 
cut down, that it will sprout again, 
and that the tender branch thereof 
will not cease. Though the root 
thereof wax old in the earth, and the 
stock thereof die in the ground : yet 
through the scent of water it will 
bud, and bring forth boughs like 
a plant. Job 14 : 7-g. 

10. A fiery stream issued and 
came forth from before him : thou- 
sand thousands ministered unto 
him, and ten thousand times ten 
thousand stood before him : the 
Judgment was set, and the books 

were opened. 

11. I beheld then because of the 
voice of the great words which the 
horn spake : I beheld even till the 
beast was slain, and his body de- 
stroyed, and given to the burning 
flame. 

12. As concerning the rest of the 
beasts, they had their dominion 
taken away : yet their Hues were 
prolonged for a season and time. 

13. t saw in the night visions, 
and, behold, one like the Son of 
man came with the clouds of 
heaven, and came to the Ancient 
of days, and they brought him near 
before him. Dan. 7 : 10-13. 

Dan. 2 : 40-42. 

14. And there was given him 
dominion, and glory, and a king- 
dom, that all people, nations, and 
languages, should serve him : his 
dominion is an everlasting domin- 
ion, which shall not pass away, 
and his kingdom that which shall 
not be destroyed. Dan. 7 : 14. 

Rev, 8:7-13. 
Luke 2 : 1-4. 



io8 



STORY OF DANIEL, THE PROPHET. 



15. I Daniel was grieued in my 
spirit in the midst of my body, and 
the visions of my head troubled me. 

16. I came near unto one of them 
that stood by, and asked him the 
truth of all this. So he told hie, 
and made me know the interpreta- 
tion of the things. 

17. These great beasts, which 
are four, are four kings, which 
shall arise out of the earth. 

18. But the saints of the most 
High shall take the kingdom, and 
possess the kingdom forever, even 
forever and ever. 

19. Then I would know the truth 
of the fourth beast, which was di- 
verse from all the others, exceed- 
ing dreadful, whose teeth were of 
iron, and his nails of brass : which 
devoured, break in pieces, and 
stamped the residue with his feet, 

20. And of the ten horns that 
were in his head, and of the other 
which came up, and before whom 
three fell; even of that horn that 
had eyes, and a mouth that spake 
very great thinys, whose look was 
more stout than his fellows. 

21. I beheld, and the same horn 
made war with the saints, and 
prevailed against them; 

22. Until the Ancient of days 
came, ahd judgment was given to 
the saints of the most High ; and 
the time came that the saints pos- 
sessed the kingdom. 

23. Thus he said. The fourth 
beast shall be the fourth kingdom 
upon earth, which shaH be diverse 
from all kingdoms, and shall devour 
the whole earth, and shall tread it 
down, and break it in pieces. 

Dan. 7 : 15-23. 
There were certain Greeks among 
them that came up to worship at the 
feast: the same came, therefore, to 
Philip, which was of Bethsaida of 
Galilee, and desired him, saying, 
Sir, we would see Jesus. 

John 12 :2o, 21. 
Acts 4 : 26, 27. 

Pilate said unto them, Ye have a 
watch : go your way, make it as sure 
as ye can. So they went and made 
the sepulcher sure, sealing the ?tone, 
and setting a watch. 

Matt. 27 : 62-66. 



fallen into the hands of some strong general 
who took the rule, but with Rome the case was 
different. The details of this history are given 
in the eighth chapter of Revelation under the 
symbol of the seven trumpets. Barbarian 
hordes from the north of Europe and Asia 
swept over the Roman empire between the 
years 351 and 483 A. D., crushing the govern- 
ment into ten parts. The ten kingdoms which 
arose as the result of the breaking up of the 
old Roman kingdom are : the Huns, the Ostro- 
goths, the Visigoths, the Franks, the Vandals, 
the Heruli, the Burgundians, the Suevi, the 
Anglo-Saxons, and the Lombards. The con- 
nection between these and the nations of mod- 
ern Europe, can readily be traced in the names, 
as France, England, Lombardy, Burgundy, etc. 
There was a time when the Roman empire 
had a most wonderful opportunity to accept the 
true God. Rome was the universal kingdom 
during the life of Christ. To Babylon God sent 
His people, the Jews, to scatter the truths of 
His kingdom, and lead men to repentance. The 
Medes and the Persians received the gospel 
from this same people, and representatives from 
Greece went to Jerusalem, into the very temple, 
in touch with the priests, in order that there 
might be no excuse for their refusing Christ. 
But to the Roman kingdom heaven itself was 
poured out in the person of the Saviour, and it 
was Rome that nailed Him to the cross. It was 
a Roman seal on His tomb, and a Roman guard 
at His grave. The early church suffered 
persecution at the hands of this same power. 
Judgment came on Rome when these bar- 
barians overran the empire with fire and sword, 



THE SEVENTH CHAPTER OF DANIEL. 



109 



and the kingdom was divided into ten parts. 
But Roman history did not end with the 
division. Daniel watched, " and, behold, there 
came up among them another little horn, before 
which there were three of the first horns 
plucked up by the roots." A new power, 
one outside the empire, is here represented by 
the little horn. The three divisions which were 



24. And the ten horns out of this 
kingdom are ten kings that shall 
arise: and another shall rise after 
them; and he shall be diverse from 
the first, and he shall subdue three 
kings. Dan. 7:24. 



He leadeth princes away spoiled, 
and overthroweth the mighty. 

Job 12 : ig. 



He $Kall $peak grea 

f^anfimix cmt the saints 

of ^lliiffl^ff HigK. and 
cfc;^J|iii^ and latxj 
ifiall be given 
^^^^^^^^^^ 1^ a time a: 
1BB$ and rtte dtvi 
o£ time. 



Dan 7:2S 



plucked up were the Heruli in 493, the Vandals 
in 534, and the Ostrogoths in 538 a. d. Jus- 
tinian, the emperor, whose seat was at Constan- 
tinople, working through his general Belisarius, 
was the power that overthrew the three king- 
doms represented by the three horns, and the 
reason for their overthrow was their adherence 
to Arianism in opposition to the orthodox Cath- 
olic faith. The details of the overthrow, and 
the religious controversy which was the root of 
the trouble, are fully given by Gibbon in the 
" Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire," by 




26. And he shall speak great 
words against the most High, and 
shall wear out the saints of the 
most High, and think to change 
times and laws: and they shall be 
given into his hand until a time 
and times and the dividing of time. 

26. But the judgment shall sit, 
and they shall take away his do- 
minion, to consume and to destroy 
it unto the end, Dan. 7 : 26, 26. 



no 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



The great God that formed all 
things both rswardeth the fool, and 
rewardetli transgressors. 

Prov. 26 : 10. 



I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet 
colored beast, full of names of blas- 
phemy, having seven heads and ten 
horns. Rev, 17 : 3. 

I saw the woman drunken with 
the blood of the saints, and with the 
blood of the martyrs of Jesus : and 
when I saw her, I wondered with 
great admiration. Rev. 17 : 6. 



Through his policy also he shall 
cause craft to prosper in his hand : 
and he shall magnify himself in his 
heart, and by peace shall destroy 
many : he shall also stand up 
against the Prince of princes ; but 
he shall be. broken without hand. 
Dan. 8 -.2$. 



Acts 28 : 16, 30. 

Your obedience is come abroad 
unto all men. Rom. 16 : 19. 

Your faith is spoken of through- 
out the whole world. Rom. i :8. 



The mystery of iniquity doth al- 
ready work : only he who now let- 
teth will let, until he be taken out 
of the way. 3 Thess. 2 : 7. 



Mosheim in his church history, and by others. 

The Uttle horn which gained power by pluck- 
ing up three horns, was diverse from all the 
others. It had eyes '' like the eyes of a man, 
and a mouth speaking great things ;" his look 
also was more stout than his fellows. 

Rome was dropping into ruin ; her cities had 
been sacked, her government broken. As from 
the decaying log of the marsh the mushroom 
springs up in a night, gaining its life from the 
decay, so there arose in the Roman empire a 
power which was nourished by this national de- 
cay. This power was the little horn known as 
the papacy. 

It is written that Babylon, the mother of har- 
lots, fell because of imputing her power unto 
the gods of the heathen Pagan Rome fell 
because she presumed to hold authority over 
the person of Christ and His followers. Then 
arose the little horn, and it "made war with the 
saints, and prevailed against them." "He shall 
speak great words against the Most High, and 
shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and 
think to change times and laws." 

Rome in the days of Christ was the center of 
the world. Paul and others preached the gospel 
in that city. A church was organized there 
and for years this church of Rome ranked with 
the churches of Jerusalem, Constantinople, and 
others. Gradually but surely, worldliness took 
the place of the Spirit of Christ, and Roman 
bishops became exalted. The mystery of in- 
iquity of which Paul wrote in his letter to the 
Thessalonians, was at work in Rome. At the 
time of the division of the empire the bishops 
were greedv for civil power, and in the time of 



THE SEVENTH CHAPTER OF DANIEL. 



Ill 



national distress the church grasped the reins 
of government ; the Httle horn had received 
power. This was in a. d. 538, when the last of 
the three horns was plucked up, and the decree 
made by Justinian in 533, recognizing the 
bishop of Rome as head over all the churches, 
went into effect. (See Gibbon, chapter 41.) 
Paganism on the throne had been cruel enough, 
but when those pagan principles which had 
lived since the days of Babylon took the name 
and outward form of Christianity, the power 
which bore sway was still more cruel. Not 
only would the little horn speak stout words 
against the Most High, but it would " presume 
to change the appointed times and the law." 
(Spurrell's trans.) 

Unholy hands had been laid in years past 
upon the temple of God and the consecrated 
vessels in the temple, and upon God's people, 
but the little horn laid hands upon the very law 
of God, attempting to change the Sabbath of 
the fourth commandment. The little horn had 
all the power of Babylon. In government it 
was an absolute monarchy, holding authority 
over all the thrones of Europe. Kings rose and 
fell at the dictates of Rome. From a religious 
viewpoint, it was the ruling power, dictating to 
the consciences of men, bringing them before 
its tribunal and peering into their very 
thoughts. The rack and the inquisition 
were its instruments, and no man escaped 
the scrutiny of the man's eyes in the little 
horn The means by which this power was 
maintained was its system of education, which 
kept Europe in darkness for over one thousand 
years. 



He increaseth the nations, and 
destroyeth them : he enlargeth the 
nations, and straiteneth them again. 
Job 12 : 23. 



The husband is the head of the 
wife, even as Christ is the head of 
tlie church, and he is the saviour of 
the body. Eph. 5 : 23. 

Thou shalt have no other gods 
before me. Ex. 20 : 3. 

Then shall be great tribulation, 
such as was not since the beginning 
of the world to this time, no, nor 
ever shall be. And except those 
days should be shortened, there 
should no tlesh be saved : but for 
the elects' sake those days shall be 
shortened. Matt. 24 : 21, 22. 



Therefore he brought upon them 
the king of the Chaldees, who slew 
their young men with the sword in 
the house of their sanctuary. And 
all the vessels of the house of God, 
great and small, and the treasures 
of the house of the Lord, and the 
treasures of the king, and of his 
princes ; all these he brought to 
Babylon. And they burnt the house 
of God, and brake down the wall of 
Jerusalem, and burnt all the pal- 
aces thereof with fire, and destroyed 
all the goodly vessels thereof. 

2 Chron. 36 : 17-19. 



As a roaring lion, and a ranging 
bear ; so is a wicked ruler over the 
poor people. Prov. 28 : 15. 

There shall be false teachers 
among you, who privily shall bring 
in damnable heresies. 

2 Peter 2 : 1-3. 

2 Thess. 2 : 5-7. 



112 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



The same horn made war with the 
saints, and prevailed against them ; 
until the Ancient of days came, and 
judgment was given to the saints of 
the most High ; and the time came 
that the saints possessed the king- 
dom. Dan, 7:21,22. 

Rev. II :2, 3. 
£ze. 4 :6. 



31-2 years=i26o days. 
42 months=i26o days. 
I prophetic day=i literal year. 
1260 prophetic days- 1260 literal 
years. 



I beheld till the thrones were oast 
down, and the Ancient of days did 
sit, whose garment was white as 
snow, and the hair of his head like 
the pure wool : his throne was like 
the fiery flame, and his wheels as 
burning fire. A fiery stream issued 
and came forth from before him : 
thousand thousands ministered unto 
him, and ten thousand times ten 
thousand stood before him : the 
judgment was set, and the books 
were opened. Dan. 7 rg, 10. 



Christ is not entered into the holy 
places made with hands, which are 
the figures of the true ; but into 
heaven itself, now to appear in the 
presence of God for us. 

Heb. 9 : 24. 



It was therefore necessary that 
the patterns of things in the heavens 
should be purified with these ; but 
the heavenly things themselves with 
better sacrifices than these. 

Heb. 9 : 23. 



This was a long-lived kingdom. " They [the 
saints, the times, and the law] would be given 
into his hands for a time and times and the di- 
viding of time." [The reader is referred to 
Dan. 11:13, margin; also Dan. 12:7, and to 
Rev. 12:6; 13:5, and Num. 14:34 for differ- 
ent expressions giving the same time and refer- 
ring to the same power.] This time, — three and 
one-half years, or forty-two months, or twelve 
hundred and sixty days, as it is variously desig- 
nated, — began in 538, when three horns were 
plucked up to make way for the establishment 
of this one power, the little horn. It continued 
until 1 798, when its dominion was taken away. 
Its power, however, is not yet destroyed. 

Daniel in his vision was shown not only 
earthly kingdoms and powers, bi)t after listen- 
ing to the voice of the little horn, which spake 
great words against the Most High, his atten- 
tion was called to scenes in the heavenly 
court which would transpire simultaneously with 
the fulfillment of the prophecy concerning the 
nations of the earth. 

It was during the time when the fourth beast 
had dominion and power that the Saviour was 
crucified. He was the Lamb slain in the outer 
court, and on His ascension He entered the holy 
place of the heavenly sanctuary. There He was 
seen by John as described in the fourth and 
fifth chapters of Revelation. But this work in 
the holy place was only a part of the Saviour's 
ministry for mankind. The time came when 
He must perform in heaven that service of 
which the day of atonement in the earthly 
sanctuary was the type. Spurrell renders the 
ninth verse : "I beheld until the thrones were 




Whe Ztiw of Bod 



tti Ghoxi shalt have xio othtf eiods 

hern-rc nte. 



TaUou sbalt not make ttttlro IKec 
ant) pfaven i-mAqc. or any likeness 

rfamitltittp that H i»x heaven abov-r . 
or tHat is'm the eaftlv beiteairh,or 
ihai 13 in tlic water uiider tke 
eni*th;thctxi s"ha1i not bow dotxin 
th-y«cl£ to khcttx.nor serve tKcni; 
for I th.e Isord thy Pod ani a jealous 
Soti.vtstl^incj the tntgrtitx; ot the 
faAers upon the childi'en unto the 
third and i"o\irth cjerxeraiion of 
them that hatetue. and shouiinc} 
mercy -aMto trhousand* oT them 
that I'ove nie, and. keep txi-.y con\/- 
njandracnis. 

31 

Ghoix shalt not take the name 
of the hord thy Sod invain-.for tlie 
Iford UJxU not hold hi«i C(u.iltle*# 
thai takeih his narae m vain. 

'Rettiembcv the $abbath day to 
\ee:p it holy. i>i.\- day* shalt H\ou. 

ibor, and'do all thy vuork-.ba! the 
seventh davi i$.the Sabbath of the 
liord thy God: in it thou sltalt not 
do anu u-ork, thou.. nor thy son.noi- 
Ihj.) daucihlcr, thy tnan-servant 
nor lht:( Vtaid-scrvant.itor thu 
cattle. nor thtj sirattcier that Ti 
u'ithin thjj patesjfor m six dat^* 
the liord made heave jx and earth, 
tUe sca.and all that Sti iheni i«, 
and rested the <;eventh day;u*ht?re- 
fare tht? liord blessed the Sabbatli 
da-y,and haliott'ttd it.* 

Honoi- tHy father and tht^ 
tttother. that ihu daus mai^ be lonp, 
upon the land which the Lord thti 
iTod oivetli thee. 



'^A 



^'*r 



■GThou sbalt not kill- 
s C.hou stialt noteomrait adialtfir.- 

_. . Choti $haltnot #teaL 

?Jhou shah not bear false \yit- 
nes^s aefftittst trht? neiohbor. 

■JSIiuu Shalt not covet tli%) 
neighbor's house, thou s^hslt not 
covet thy neiyhbor's xuife, nor 
fti* iTttiti-servant.nor ht$ raaiii- 
servaxrhttor Viis oac.nor "hi-v 
as$, not' any thitxa that Iv 
thy ^teighbor's. 



©he £auj a$ ehnnacd 
by thePaptictf 

1 aw the hard thy Bod : thou, 
^h alt not have stranoe qod« be- 
fore tne. 

GItou shalt nol take the name 
of the hord tloy 6od in vain. 



-^. 




■Rernentber that thou keep holy j 
the 5abbath dau- ' 1 



Honor thp father and th.^ 
mother. 




Chovt «balt- not- kill. 



Ghoxt shalt not commit adultertj, •; 

Gtiou shalt not steak 

IX 
Gohott $halt not bear -false unt- 
ness a^ain^f thy neighbor. 
rx 
Ghnxx shah not covet thy neigh- 
bor's uh-fe. 

Chovx sHalt not covet thy 
nei;ghbors goods. 




THE SEVENTH CHAPTER OF DANEL. 



113 



pitched [Revised Version, placed], when the An- 
cient of days was enthroned [or did sit] in 
judgment. His raiment was white as snow, the 
hair of His head Hke pure wool, His throne was 
flames of fire. His rolling wheels the ardent 
flame." 

Here within the holy of holies is the abiding 
place of the King of kings, God the Father, 
where thousands and tens of thousands of an- 
gels minister before Him. This, the throne of 
God, is the center of all creation ; about it re- 
volve the solar systems throughout the whole 
extent of space. Worlds circle about their suns, 
and suns with their attendant planets in turn 
circle about the throne of God. It is the wheel 
within a wheel which Ezekiel describes. Daniel 
said, '^ A fiery stream issued and came forth 
from before Him," for there all is life, a living, 
constantly moving throne. 

God's power pervades space in every direc- 
tion. Like beams of light, there radiates from 
Him a force which holds worlds in their orbits. 
The power man calls gravity is but a portion of 
the drawing power of God. It holds the orbs 
of heaven in their places, it balances the clouds, 
weighs the mountains, and measures the waters 
of the sea. The same power notes the fall of 
every leaf on earth, the death of the tiniest 
sparrow, and the pulse beats of every man. 
From Him comes all life : " in Him we live 
and move and have our being." 

The Son was one with the Father, and it was 
from this glory that He stepped when He of- 
fered Himself at the foundation of the world. 
He was the Lamb slain, and the heart of God 
was broken in that offering. Every time the 



O that one might plead for a man 
with God, as a man pleadeth for his 
neighbor ! Job 16 : 21. 



Thou that dwellest between the 
cherubims, shine forth. Ps. 88 : i . 



The Lord hath prepared his 
throne in the heavens ; and his king- 
dom ruleth over all. Bless the 
Lord, ye his angels, that excel in 
strength, that do his command- 
ments, hearkemng unto the voice 
of his word. Ps. 103 : 19-21. 



Their appearance and their work 
was as it were a wheel in the middle 
of a wheel. Eze. i : 16. 



His brightness was as' the light : 
he had bright beams out of his side, 
and there was the hiding of his 
power. Hab. 3 14 [margin]. 

He is before all things, and in 
him all things hold together. 

Col. I : 17, R. V, [margin]. 



Dost thou know the balancings 
of the clouds, the wondrous works 
of him which is perfeet in knowl- 
edge ? Job 37 : 16. 

Job 28 : 24-27. 
Isa. 40 : 12-17. 
Matt. ID : 2g. 
Acts 17 :28. 
Matt. 5 : 14. 



And now, O Father, glorify thou 
me with thine own self with the 
glory which I had with thee before 
the world was. John 17 : 5. 

Lamb slain from the foundation 
of the world. Rev. 13 : 8. 



114 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



God so loved the world, that he 

gave his only begotten Son, that 

whosoever believeth in him should 

not perish but have everlasting life. 

John 3 : i6. 



Ps. 57:17. 
Isa. 49 : 16. 

One shall say unto him. What are 
these wounds in thine hands ? Then 
he shall answer, Those with which 
I was wounded in the house of my 
friends, Zech, 13 :6. 

Eph. 3 : 9, ID. 



There was given him dominion, 
and glory, and a kingdom, that all 
people, nations, and languages 
should serve him : his dominion is 
an everlasting dominion , which shall 
not pass away, and his kingdom that 
which shall not be destroyed. 

Dan. 7 : 14. 



Eze. 28 : 14. 
Job 37 : 19-23. 



Then the moon, shall be con- 
founded, and the sun ashamed, 
when the Lord of hosts shall reign 
in Mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, 
and before his ancients gloriously. 
Isa. 24 :23. 



Behold, I have set befo.-e thee an 
open door, and no man can shut it. 
Rev. 3 : 8. 



I saw in the night visions, and, 
behold, one like the Son of man 
came with the clouds of heaven, 
and came to the Ancient of days, 
and they brought him near before 
him. Dan. 7 : 13. 



knife was plunged into a victim at the altar of 
the earthly sanctuary, the flowing blood touched 
afresh the heart of the eternal Father. Every 
time a broken-hearted man or woman approaches 
the throne in penitence, the Father's heart is 
touched. "The broken and the contrite heart 
Thou wilt not despise, O God." Never, never, 
throughout all eternity, will that Son resume 
His former condition. What He assumed for 
fallen man He will retain forever. He is a 
man still in the heavenly court, touched by 
every human woe. The universe beheld the 
gift, and bowed in adoration. The temple is 
filled with the glory. There seraphim and 
cherubim with their shining glory, as guard- 
ians, stretch their wings above His throne, veil 
their faces in adoration, and bow before Him. 

" Oh, instruct us what we shall say of Him ; 
we can not do justice because of our ignorance. 
... If a man venture to speak, surely he shall 
be overwhelmed. 

"We can not even now gaze upon the light 
of the sun when it shineth forth in the heavens ; 
and the wind passing along hath cleared the 
sky. But what splendor from the holy of holies 
shall appear! With God is insufferable maj- 
esty ! The Almighty I we can not comprehend 
H im 1 ' ' — Spurrell ^ s Translation. 

The door into the holy of holies was opened 
in 1 844, and " behold, one like the Son of Man 
came with the clouds of heaven, and came to 
the Ancient of days, and they brought Him 
near before Him." 

No words could be framed that would give a 
more vivid view of the opening of the judgment, 
which occurred at the time of the announce- 



THE SEVENTH CHAPTER OF DANIEL. 



115 



ment, "The hour of His judgment is come." 
In the seventh chapter of Daniel is the only 
description found in the Bible of the judgment 
scene announced by the first angel of the four- 
teenth chapter of Revelation. The message 
itself is the only announcement in the Bible 
that the time had arrived ; and the fourteenth 
verse of the eighth chapter of Daniel is the only 
prophetic period given in the Bible which 
marks the time of the beginning of God's 
judgment. That period is the twenty-three 
hundred days, or literal years, which began in 
the year 457 b. c, with the decree to build and 
restore Jerusalem, and expired in 1844, A. d. 
It was at this latter date that the first angel 
of the fourteenth chapter of Revelation pro- 
claimed the hour of God's judgment. The 
message went to all lands, and the islands of 
the sea heard it. 

When God had taken His position over His 
law in the most holy place in the heavenly 
sanctuary, then Christ came in to plead before 
Him for His people. This coming could not have 
been when He ascended up on high ; for then 
He ascended to the Father, and the judgment 
was in the future. It can not refer to His second 
coming to this earth ; for then He comes from 
the Father. It was His coming before the 
Father when He took His position in the judg- 
ment at the end of the twenty-three hundred 
days. He came before the Father surrounded 
by the clouds of heaven ; that is, with thousands 
of angels who, as ministering spirits, have 
watched the lives of men, recording their every 
word and deed and thought. Characters have 
been formed, and whether they are good or bad. 



And I saw another angel fly in 
the midst of heaven, having the 
everlasting gospel to preach unto 
them that dwell on the earth, and 
to every nation, and kindred, and 
tongue, and people, saying with a 
loud voice, Fear God, and give 
glory to him ; for the hour of his 
judgment is come : and worship him 
that made heaven, and earth, and 
the sea, and the fountains of waters. 
Rev. 14 : 6, 7. 



Unto two thousand and three 
hundred days ; then shall the sanc- 
tuary be cleansed. Dan. 8 : 14. 



I said in mine heart, God shall 
judge the righteous and the wicked : 
for there is a time there for every 
purpose and for every work, 

Eccl. 3 : 17, 



Righteousness and judgment are 
the establishment of his throne. 
Ps. 98 : 2 [margin]. 



He reasoned of righteousness, 
temperance, and judgment to 
come. Acts 24 : 24. 



He that overcometh, the same 
shall be clothed in white raiment ; 
and I will not blot out his name out 
of the book of life, but I will con- 
fess his name before my father, and 
before his angel. Rev. 3:5. 



Who maketh his angels spirits : 
his ministers a flaming fire. 

Ps. 104 14. 

Are they not all ministering spir- 
its, sent forth to minister for them 
who shall be heirs of salvation ? 
Heb. 1 : 14. 

Ps. 34 : 7. 



ii6 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



our 



The books were opened r and an- they have been miiTored in the books of heaven. 

other book was opened, which is the ttti r^^ -a ^ r ^ i -r-* i i i i 

book of life- and the dead were When Christ camc before the Father, the books 
judged out of those things which ^gj-g opened and the cases of the dead began to 

were written in the books, according 

to their works. Rev. 20; 12. be investigated. The deeds may have been corn- 
Therefore judge notiiing before mittcd in thc light of day, or in the darkness 

the time, until the Lord come, who . . , . , .- 

both will bring to light the hidden of night, yct thcy are all open and manifest 
things of darkness, and will make bcforc Him with whom wc havc to do. Hcav- 

manifest the counsels of the hearts : 

and then shall every man have cnly intelligences havc wltncsscd cach sin, 
praise o o . i or. 4 . 5. ^^^ have faithfully recorded the same. Sin 

Thine iniquity is marked before , --_ -.^ ,. , 

me, saith the Lord God. ^'^'^Y be conccalcd f rom fricnds, relatives, and 

jer. 2:22. ^„r most intimate associates. None but the 
-- - guilty actors may have the least 

^ ^ knowledge of wrong deeds, 
i but these things are all 
« laid bare before the an- 
gels and the inhabi- 
tants of other worlds. 
The darkest of all 
dark nights, the deep- 
est-laid plot of i n d i- 
viduals or nations, can 
not hide even one 
thought from the heav- 
e n 1 y intelligences. 
God has a faithful 
record of every 
Neither is there any creature that crookcd dealing, of cvcry sln and unjust prac- 

is not manifest in his sight . but ail 

things are naked a^d opened unto tlCC. If thc iuward heart Is full of hypOCHSy, 

the eyes of him with whom we have 

to do. Heb. 4 : 13. 

Yea, the darkness hideth not from 
thee. Ps. 139 : 7-12. 

Counting one by one, to find out 
the account. Eccl. 7 : 27. 




'The dead were judged out of those things which were writ- 
ten in the books, according to their works." 



an outward appearance of uprightness can not 
deceive Him. 

As one by one these names are read, the 
Saviour holds up His hands, still bearing the 
imprints of the nails of Calvary, and cries, 
"■ My blood, Father, my blood, my blood." 
There was a rainbow round about Abovc His thronc Is the ralubow ; mercy and 

the throne, in sight like unto an em- i^ u 1 

eraid. Rev. 4:3. justicc mingle there. God s heart is touched by 



The blood of Jesus Christ his 
Son cleanseth us from all sin. 

I John 1 : 7. 



THE SEVENTH CHAPTER OF DANIEL. 



117 



the pleadings of His Son, and pardon is written 
opposite the name. Then through the arches 
of heaven, a shout of triumph resounds. The 
angels cast their crowns before the throne, cry- 
ing, " Holy, holy, holy ! " 

For over sixty years the work of the investi- 
gative judgment has been in progress. It is 
fast drawing to a close. Before it closes, it 
will settle the case of every living man ^nd 
woman. Day by day we are making the record 
which will determine our future for weal or 
woe. How solemn the thought that words 
once uttered, actions once performed, can never 
be changed. The atoning blood of Christ is 
offered to-day. "To-day if ye will hear His 
voice, harden not your hearts." 

The life of the fourth beast, especially of the 
little horn, was prolonged beyond the time of the 
investigative judgment. Even after the thrones 
were set and the work in the holy of holies was 
begun, the great words of the little horn at- 
tracted the attention of the prophet. The great- 
est word ever spoken against God was the de- 
cree of infallibility issued by the ecumenical 
council in 1870. This was the attempt to seat 
a man on the throne beside the Son of God. 
While Christ stood as a slain Lamb before the 
Father, pleading for the salvation of the world, 
poor, frail man was exalting his throne above 
the stars of God. 

Babylon fell because she imputed her power 
unto the gods. Of the fourth beast Daniel 
says, "I beheld till the beast was slain, and his 
body destroyed, and given to the burning 
flame." Thus at the end, instead of being 
conquered by some other power arising on 



If we confess our sins, he is faith- 
ful and just to forgive us our sins, 
and to cleanse us from all unright- 
eousness. I John I rg. 



He that is unjust, let him be un- 
just still : and he which is filthy, let 
him be filthy still : and he that is 
righteous, let him be righteous still: 
and he that is holy, let him be holy 
still. Rev. 22 : n. 

My witness is in heaven, and my 
record is on high. Job i6 : 19. 

But I say unto you. That every 
idle word that men shall speak, they 
shall give account thereof in the day 
of judgment. For by thy words 
thou shalt be justified, and by thy 
words thou shalt be condemned. 
Matt. 12 : 36, 37. 

Heb. 3:7, 8. 



1 beheld then because of the voice 
of the great words which the horn 
spake : I beheld even till the beast 
was slain, and his body destroyed, 
and given to the burning flame. 

Dan. 7:11. 

2 Thess. 2 ; 4. 



Wherefore he is able also to save 

them to the uttermost that come 

unto God by him, seeing he ever 

liveth to make intercession for them. 

Heb. 7 :2s. 

He shall offend, imputing this his 
power unto his god. Hab. i : 11. 

Dan. 7 : 11. 



The beast was taken, and with 
him the false prophet that wrought 
miracles before him, with which he 
deceived them that had received the 



ii8 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



mark of the beast, and them that 
worshiped his image. These both 
were cast alive into a lake of fire 
burning with brimstone. 

Rev. 19 : 20. 
Thou sawest till that a stone was 
cut out which was not in hands : 
which smote the image upon his feet 
that were of iron and clay, and 
brake them in pieces. 

Dan. 2 : 34 [margin]. 



27. And the kingdom and domin- 
ion, and the greatness of the king- 
dom under the whole heaven, shall 
be given to the people of the saints 
of the most High, whose kingdom 
is an everlasting kingdom, and all 
dominions shall serve and obey him. 
Dan. 7 ; 27. 



Rev. 20 : 4, 6. 

For this purpose the Son of God 
was manifested, that he might de- 
stroy the works of the devil. 

I John 3 : 8. 



That through death he might de- 
stroy him that had the power of 
death, that is, the devil. 

Heb. 2 : 14. 



There shall be no more curse : but 
the throne of God and of the Lamb 
shall be in it ; and his servants shall 
serve him. Rev. 22 13. 



28. Hitherto is the end of the 
matter. As for me Daniel, my 
cogitations much troubled me, and 
my countenance changed in me : 
but I kept the matter in my heart. 
Dan. 7:28. 



earth, this power goes into the lake of fire. 
The other beasts which represent kingdoms, 
had their dominion taken away, yet their hves 
were prolonged for a time and a season ; that is, 
each was merged into the succeeding kingdom. 
But not so with the fourth kingdom; its de- 
struction will be complete. 

The fifth kingdom, which is the heavenly, the 
kingdom of God, is not in human hands. God 
Himself will establish it under the whole 
heaven, and it will exist forever and ever. " The 
kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of 
the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be 
given to the people of the saints of the Most 
High." Those who are accounted worthy in 
the investigative judgment will come forth in 
the first resurrection, or will be translated with- 
out seeing death, and will reign with Christ for- 
ever and ever." Sin, with all who have clung to 
it, will be forever destroyed. The pride and 
arrogance of Babylon of old, her iniquity of 
every form which has been repeated by all the 
nations of the earth, together with* the insti- 
gator of all evil, will at last be blotted out. 
The end of the controversy is reached. The 
triumph of truth is witnessed by all created 
beings. The scar which sin has made is gone 
forever. The discord which for six thousand 
years has marred the universe, is forgotten. 
The music of the spheres is taken up anew, 
and man reigns with his Creator. *' Hither- 
to is the end of the matter." What wonder 
that the vision troubled Daniel, and that his 
countenance changed ! The matchless love of 
Christ, who can understand.? 




CHAPTER IX. 



THE EIGHTH CHAPTER OF DANIEL. 



A PERIOD of two years had passed since the 
vision recorded in the seventh chapter of Daniel. 
The prophet's mind had dwelt often upon the 
scenes which his eye then beheld, and the sub- 
ject of the judgment had been pondered again 
and again. He kept the matter in his heart, he 
himself says, for in the days of Daniel, as at 
the present time, only the few could compre- 
hend and appreciate spiritual topics. Many 
changes of a material nature had taken place 
during those two years. Wickedness had in- 
creased in the kingdom of Babylon, and no rev- 
erence whatever was shown for God or His 
people. This saddened the heart of Daniel. 



7, In the third year of the reign 
of king Belshazzar a vision ap- 
peared unto me, even unto me 
Daniel, after that which appeared 
unto me at the first. Dan. 8 : 1. 



As for me Daniel, my cogitations 
much troubled me, and my counte- 
nance changed in me : but I kept 
the noatter in my heart. 

Dan. 7 : 28. 



The natural man receiveth pot 
the things of the Spirit of God : for 
they are foolishness unto him : nei- 
ther can he know them, because 
they are spiritually discerned. 

I Cor. 2 : 14. 



119 



I20 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



2. And I saw in a vision; and it 
came to pass, when I saw, that I 
was at Shushan in the palace, 
which is /> the province of El am ; 
and I saw in a vision, and I was by 
the river of Ulai. Dan. 8 : 2. 



It shall come to pass in the latter 
days, that I will bring again the 
captivity of Elam, saith the Lord. 
Jer. 49 : 39. 



Behold, I will stir iip the Medes 
against them, which shall not regard 
silver; and as for gold, they shall 
not delight in it. Isa. 13 : 17. 



A grievous vision is declared unto 
me ; the treacherous dealer dealeth 
treacherously, and the spoiler spoil- 
eth. Go up, O Elam : besiege, O 
Media ; all the sighing thereof have 
I made to cease. Isa. 21 : 1-3- 



2. Then I lifted up mine eyes, 
and saw, and, behold, there stood 
before the river a ram which had 
two horns : and the two horns were 
high ; but one was higher than the 
other, and the higher came up last. 
Dan. 8:3. 

Behold, another beast, a second, 
like to a bear, and it raised up itself 
on one side, and it had three ribs in 
the mouth of it between the teeth of 
it : and they said thus unto it, Arise, 
devour much flesh. Dan. 7:5. 



Thus saith the Lord to his 
anomted, to Cyrus, whose right 
hand I have holden, to subdue na- 
tious before him. Isa. 45 : 1-5. 



He who for years had been the chief counselor 
in the empire, now no longer dwelt in the 
capital, but had his residence in the palace at 
Shushan. Shushan was the capital of Elam, 
which was formerly a subject province of the 
kingdom of Babylon, but as that empire began 
to weaken, and the strength of Cyrus, the Per- 
sian general, was recognized, Elam, under Abra- 
dates, the viceroy or prince, had revolted from 
Babylon, and joined the forces of the Persians. 
Years before this, the prophet Isaiah had said 
that Elam and Media would join forces in the 
conquest of Babylon. As Daniel lived in the 
palace of Shushan, he saw the way opening for 
the fulfillment of this prophecy. If Babylon 
was not already undergoing a siege at the hands 
of Cyrus and Darius, her downfall was so immi- 
nent that in this vision the history of nations 
begins with the rising kingdom of the Medes 
and Persians. 

Daniel was transported to the river Ulai, by 
the side of which stood a ram having two horns, 
one higher than the other, and the higher came 
up last. In his previous vision the second king- 
dom had been represented by a bear which 
raised itself on one side and had three ribs in 
its mouth. Both symbols apply to the double 
nature of the kingdom of the Medes and Per- 
sians, but the uneven horns of the ram give a 
more specific description ; for while the Median 
kingdom was the older of the two, the Persian 
excelled it in strength, and its position in his- 
tory must be attributed to the line of Persian 
kings which began with Cyrus the Great. The 
definiteness with which this symbol is inter- 
preted is an illustration of the fact that the 



THE EIGHTH CHAPTER OF DANIEL,. 



121 



Scriptures are their own best commentaries. 
Said the angel, '^The ram which thou sawest 
having two horns are the kings of Media and 
Persia." 

As the ram pushed westward, northward, and 
southward, and no beast could stand before it, 
so the Medo-Persian empire extended its domin- 
ion in these directions. At the fall of Babylon 
one hundred and twenty provinces recognized 
the authority of Cyrus and Darius. These were 
held in subjection, and others added, so that in the 
time of the Ahasuerus of Esther, the kingdom 
controlled one hundred and twenty-seven prov- 
inces, extending from India on the east to the 
Mediterranean on the west, and from the Cas- 
pian Sea to Ethiopia. It was then called a glo- 
rious kingdom, and the monarch was spoken of 
as "his excellent majesty." The same facts are 
made prominent in the eleventh chapter of Dan- 
iel, where Xerxes, the fourth from Cyrus, stirs 
up all the Eastern nations to war with Greece : 
" He did according to his will, and became 
great." 

Nevertheless, the greatness of the second 
kingdom did not insure length of life, and the 
prophet was shown a he goat coming from the 
west, and, as Spurrell's translation gives it, 
"rushing over the face of the whole earth, with- 
out touching the ground." The goat had a 
notable horn between his eyes. In the inter- 
pretation the angel said, "The rough goat is 
the king [or kingdom] of Grecia, and the great 
horn ... is the first king." The kingdom of 
Greece was described in the previous vision 
( Dan. J '.^)y but at the time now under con- 
sideration, the details of its rise are given. 
l 



The ram which thou sawest hav- 
ing two horns are the kings of Me- 
dia and Persia. Dan. 8 : 20, 

4. / saw the ram pushing west- 
ward, and northward, and south- 
ward; so that no beasts might 
stand before him, neither was 
there any that could deliver out of 
his hand; but he did according to 
his will, and became great. 

Dan. 8 : 4. 

Dan. 6:1. 



Now it came to pass in the days 
of Ahasuerus, (this is Ahasuerus 
which reigned, from India even 
unto Ethiopia, over an hundred 
and seven and twenty provinces). 
Esther 1:1. 



When he showed the riches of his' 
glorious kingdom and the honor of 
his excellent majesty many days, 
even an hundred and four score 
days. Esther i : 4, 



A mighty king shall stand up, 
that shall rule with great dominion, 
and do according to his will. 

Dan. 11:3. 



6. And as I was considering, be- 
hold, an he goat came from the 
west on the face of the whole 
earth, and touched not the ground : 
and the goat had a notable horn 
between his eyes. 

6. And he came to the ram that 

had two horns, which I had seen 

standing before the river, and ran 

unto him in the fury of his power. 

Dan. 8 : 6, 6. 



The rough goat is the king of 
Grecia : and the great horn that is 
between his eyes is the first king. 
Dan. 8 •.21. 



122 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



Now will I show thee the truth. 
Behold, there shall stand up yet 
three kings in Persia ; and the 
fourth shall be far richer than they 
all: and by his strength through his 
riches he shall stir up all against 
the realm of Grecia. 

Dan. 11:2. 

The noise of a whip, and the noise 

of the rattling of the wheels, and of 
the pransing horses, and of the 
jumping chariots. The horseman 
lifteth up both the bright sword and 
the glittering spear : and there is a 
multitude of slain, and a great num- 
ber of carcases. Nahum 3:2,3. 

Put not your trust in princes. 
Ps. 146:3. 

Isa. 17 :i2, 13. 



7. And I saw him come close unto* 
the ram, and he was moved with 
choler against him, and smote the 
ram, and brake his two horns : and 
there was no power in the ram to 
stand before him, but he cast him 
down to the ground, and stamped 
upon him: and there was none that 
could deliver the ram out of his 
hand. Dan. 8:7. 



Reprobate silver shall men call 
them, because the Lord hath re- 
jected them. Jer. 6 : 30. 

The iniquity of the Amorites is 
not yet full. Gen. 15 : 16. 

He did very abominably in fol- 
lowing idols, ... as did the 
Amorites, whom the Lord cast out 
before the children of Israel. 

I Kings 21 :26. 

Now will I return to fight with 
the prince of Persia : and when I 
am gone forth, lo, the prince of 
Grecia shall come. . . . There 
is none that holdeth with me in 
these things, but Michael your 
prince. Dan. 10:20,21. 



The eleventh chapter states that the fourth 
kingdom after Cyrus should stir up the nations 
against Greece. This was done when Xerxes 
crossed the Hellespont with a large army in 
480 B. c. His army is said by Herodotus to 
have numbered over a million and a half. It 
was a gathering of nations, and so vast was the 
army that seven days were required to pass 
from Asia to Greek soil. But in spite of all 
preparations, the Persian army was defeated at 
Thermopylae, at Salamis, and at Plataea, and 
Xerxes, discouraged and disheartened, gave 
over the attempt to invade Greece. Prophecy 
had foretold that when Medo-Persia and Greece 
should contend, Greece would be the aggressive 
power. 

Later, the he goat, Greece, came toward the 
ram, Medo-Persia, *' and rushed upon him in the 
heat of his strength. And I saw him' coming 
up close to the ram, and he was exceedingly 
embittered against him, and smote the ram, and 
brake his two horns, so that there was no 
strength in the ram to stand before him, for he 
threw him down to the ground, and trampled on 
him ; neither could any one deliver the ram 
from his grasp." — SpurrelL 

No historian has ever given a more graphic 
account of the contest between the Greeks 
under Alexander the Great and the Persians 
under Darius. That kingdom which before had 
shown such wonderful strength, crumbled and 
fell, and there was none to help. She had 
passed her probation and filled the cup of her 
iniquity. Michael, the Lord of heaven, had 
stood at the right hand of the Persian monarch 
on the throne to persuade him, and yet he had 




O 
<u 






THE EIGHTH CHAPTER OF DANIEL. 



123 



resisted the divine influence, and that kingdom 
which had been a rod in the hand of God to 
overthrow Babylon in its wickedness, repeated 
her sins, and in turn met the same fate. Al- 
though the Persians restored the Jews to Jeru- 
salem, that could not save them. It is only as 
nations or individuals continue in a love of the 
truth, only as they partake constantly of the 
leaves of the tree of life, that their existence 
is prolonged. 

The ram and the goat met on a river. The 
first successful battle fought by the Grecians 
against the Medes was on the banks of the 
Granicus, a stream of Asia Minor. This was 
in the year 334 b. c. Already the victory of 
Greece was recorded in the books of heaven. 
The battle at Granicus was soon followed by 
the defeat of the Medo-Persian forces at the 
pass of Issus, and the third and overwhelming 
defeat was on the plains of Arbela, 331 b. c. 
None could deliver the sinking cause of the 
Medo-Persian empire from the hands of the 
victorious Alexander. 

Alexander stands without a rival for the ra- 
pidity of his conquests. He was but a young 
man of twenty when, by the death of his father, 
Philip of Macedon, he fell heir to a small do- 
minion. He united the Greek states, placed 
himself at the head of affairs, and led her arm- 
ies in a series of wonderful victories. In the 
space of a few short years he was the recog- 
nized master of the world. He who rose to the 
highest position the world could offer, fell 
equally as suddenly. He had conquered king- 
doms, but was not master of his own passions. 
His love of praise led him to have himself pro- 



Also I in the first year of Darius 
the Mede, even I , stood to confirm 
and to strengthen him. 

Dan. ri :i. 



Thou art my battle-ax and weap- 
ons of war: for with thee will I 
break in pieces the nations. 

Jer. 51:20. 

Deut. 30 : 19, 20. 

Prov. 3 : 13, 18. 



He came to the ram that had two 
horns, which I had seen standing 
before the river, and ran unto him 
in the f my of his power. 

Dan. 8:6. 



Known unto God are all his 
works from the beginning of the 
world. Acts 15 : i8. 



He leadeth counsellors away 
spoiled, and maketh the judges 
fools. He looseth the bond of 
kings, and girdeth their loins with 
a girdle. He leadeth princes away 
spoiled, and overthroweth the 
mighty. Job 12 : 17-ig. 



After this I beheld, and lo an* 
other, like a leopard, which had 
upon the back of it four wings of a 
fowl. Dan. 7 : 6. 



In prosperity the destroyer shall 
come upon him. Job. 15:21. 



When he was strong, the great 
horn was broken. Dan. 8:8. 



He poureth contempt upon 
princes, and weakeneth the strength 
of the mighty. Job 12 : 21. 



124 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



Ps. 107 : 40. 

He that is slow to an^er is better 
than the mighty : and he that ruleth 
his spirit than he that taketh a city. 
Prov. 16 : 32. 

Dan, 4:17. 

Ps. 75 : 6, 7. 

The Lord maketh poor, and mak- 
eth rich ; he bringeth low, and 
lif teth up. I Sam. 2 : 7. 

I Sam. 2 : g. 

Lord, it is nothing with thee to 
help, whether with many, or with 
them that have no power. 

2 Chron. 14 :ti. 

I Sam. 14 : 6. 



Ps. 33 : 16-18. 

For I will not trust in my bow, 
neither shall my sword save me. 
Ps. 44 :6. 

Some trust in chariots, and some 
in horses : but we will remember 
the name of the Lord our God. 
Ps. 20 : 7. 



Job 12 : 23-25. 
Isa. 26 : 15. 
Isa. 9:3. 

The Most High ruleth in the 
kingdom of men, and giveth it to 
whomsoever he will, and setteth up 
over it the basest of men. 

Dan. 4:17-25. 

Dan. 2 :2i. 

Dan. 5 : 21. 

8. Therefore the he goat waxed 
very great ; and when he was 
strong, the great horn was broken ; 
and for it came up four notable 
ones toward the four winds of 
heaven, Dan. 8:8. 



Dan. 



It :4. 



claimed Son of Jupiter-Ammon in Egypt, and 
his love of drink caused his death at the age of 
thirty-two years, after a universal reign of only 
two years. Such was the fate of one who feared 
neither God nor man. "The Most High ruleth 
in the kingdom of men." 

** Promotion cometh neither from the east, 
nor from the west, nor from the south, but God 
is judge. He putteth down one and setteth up 
another." 

" By strength shall no man prevail." There 
is no restraint of the Lord to save by many or 
by few. 

** There is no king saved by the multitude of 
an host : a mighty man is not delivered by much 
strength. A horse is a vain thing for safety : 
neither shall he deliver any by his great 
strength. Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon 
them that fear Him, upon them that hope in 
His mercy; to deliver their souls from death, 
and to keep them alive in famine." 

Truly the Lord " increaseth the nations, and 
destroy eth them ; He enlargeth the nations, and 
straighteneth them again. He taketh away the 
heart of the people of the earth, and causeth 
them to wander in a wilderness where there is 
no way. They grope in the dark without light, 
and He maketh them to stagger like a drunken 
man." 

" When he was strong, the great horn was 
broken, and for it came up four notable ones 
toward the four winds of heaven." Alexander 
left no heir capable of ruling the kingdom, and 
in less than twenty years of strife, his four lead- 
ing generals succeeded in dividing the empire 
among themselves. 



THE EIGHTH CHAPTER OF DANIEL. 



125 



Ptolemy took Egypt and the southern terri- 
tory ; Seleucus took Syria and the eastern divi- 
sion ; Lysimachus took Asia Minor and territory 
to the north ; while Cassander took possession 
of Greece, the western division. These four 
men had not the power of Alexander. The 
prophetic history of these four divisions is given 
in the eleventh chapter of Daniel. 

In the division under consideration, the 
prophet sees a little horn coming 
forth from one of these four 
divisions. Here is 
brought to view the 
power symbolized by 
the fourth beast of 
the seventh chapter of 
Daniel. In his first 
vision the fourth beast 
was so terrible and had 
such a strange ap- 
pearance that Daniel 
asked for a clearer 
explanation of its work. 
In his second vision 
named, but its work 
further portrayed. 



Now that being broken, whereas, 
four stood up for it, fo'ir kingdoms 
shall stand up out of the nation, 
but not in his power. 

Dan. 8 :22. 

Q. And out of one of them came 
forth a little horn, which waxed 
exceeding great, toward the south, 
and toward the east, and toward 
the pleasant land. 

10. And it waxed great, even to 

the host of heauen , and it cast 

down some of the host and of the 

stars to the ground, and stamped 

upon them. 

Dan. 8:9, 10. 




the 
as 
One 



Out of one of them came forth a little horn 
which waxed exceeding great." 

little horn is not 

a kingdom is still 

feels while read- 



ing both the vision and the interpreta- 
tion of the little horn, that he is coming 
into the presence of a power greater and 
more terrible than any which had hitherto ex- 
isted. The accumulated forces of the evil of 
past ages is concentrated in this rising power, 
which waxed exceeding great. It was in truth 
the masterpiece from Satan's workshop. Four 
thousand years of trial had not passed in vain. 
As heaven was about to be emptied in the gift 



Then I would know the truth of 
the fourth beast, which was diverse 
from all the others, exceeding 
dreadful, whose teeth were of iron, 
and his nails of brass ; which de- 
voured, brake in pieces, and 
stamped the residue with his feet. 
Dan. 7 : 19. 

Visiting the iniquity of the fa- 
thers upon the children, and upon 
the children's children, unto the 
third and to the fourth generation. 
Ex. 34 :7. 

2 Thess. 2:4. 

John 3 : 16. 



126 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



O full of all subtilty and all mis- 
chief, thou enemy of all righteous- 
ness, wilt thou not cease to pervert 
the right ways of the Lord ? 

Acts 13 : 10. 

His power shall be mighty, but 
not by his own power : and he shall 
destroy wonderfully, and shall pros- 
per, and practice, and shall destroy 
the mighty and the holy people. 
Dan. 8 : 24. 

John 3 : 7 [margin]. 



The dragon gave him his power, 
and his seat and great authority. 
Rev. 13 :2. 



Wherein in time past ye walked 
according to the course of this 
world, according to the prince of 
the power of the air, the spirit that 
now worketh in the children of 
disobedience. Eph. 2:2. 

Which devoured, brake in pieces, 
and stamped the residue with his 
feet; Dan. 7 : 19. 



In the latter time of their king- 
dom, when the transgressors are 
come to the full, a king of fierce 
countenance, and understanding 
dark sentences, shall stand up. 
And his power shall be mighty, but 
not by his own power : and he shall 
destroy wonderfully, and shall 
prosper, and practice, and shall de- 
stroy the mighty and the holy peo- 
ple. And through his policy also 
he shall cause craft to prosper in 
his hand'; and he shall magnify 
himself in his heart, and by peace 
shall destroy many : he shall also 
stand up against the Prince of 
princes ; and he shall be broken 
without hand. Dan. 8 : 23-25. 



11. Yea, he magnified himself 
even to the prince of the host, and 
by him the daily sacrifice was 



of the Saviour, so all the fiendishness of the 
lower world was brought into play to counteract 
the love of God and destroy the effect of the 
sacrifice. There is a world of meaning in the 
words of the angel. 

Said Gabriel, ** His power shall be mighty, 
but not by his own power." No merely human 
power could do what this kingdom did. As 
light and love and power come from above to 
those whose eyes are directed heavenward, so a 
power from beneath takes possession of indi- 
viduals and nations which resist the love of 
God. This kingdom "waxed exceeding great, 
toward the south, and toward the east, and to- 
ward the pleasant land." Rome extended her 
territory around the Mediterranean ; there was 
no place where her arms were not victorious. 
Some of the greatest battles which history re- 
cords were fought by the Roman armies. The 
pen of Inspiration says, "He [the little horn] 
shall destroy wonderfully!' Cities which dared 
resist the power of Rome were blotted out of 
existence. In describing the government, the 
angel said, "He shall prosper and practice," 
and "through his policy also he shall cause 
craft to prosper in his hand." 

But aside from the strong central government 
which was built up by Rome ; which brought 
every other nation to her feet, and made slaves 
of the noblest of races ; which was robbing 
men of God-given rights, and violating every 
principle of equity and justice, — ^aside from all 
this, the great arrogance of Rome was displayed 
when the nation magnified itself against the 
host ( church ) of heaven. " Yea, he magnified 
himself even against [mar.] the Prince of the 



THE EIGHTH CHAPTER OF DANIEL. 



127 



host." ** He shall also stand up against the 
Prince of princes." 

God's people are precious in His sight, and he 
who touches them touches the apple of His eye. 
Rome first deprived the Jews of the right to 
worship, grinding that nation beneath the heel 
of oppression. Then Christ came, when the 
oppression was the most severe, that Rome 
might see God in human flesh. He came to 
identify Himself with that downtrodden people, 
and to show to men that God is always on the 
side of the oppressed and enslaved. He came 
to illustrate the workings of the Spirit in the 
human heart, and to prove that it is possible to 
have a heaven within, although outward circum- 
stances are to the contrary. 

But Rome crucified Him whom Heaven sent. 
The dragon was wroth, and made war with the 
seed of the woman — Christ — who had been 
promised when sin entered the world. This 
was paganism in its greatest strength. It was 
in its dying throes, but even in the agony of 
death it smote the truth. 

What Satan could not accomplish through 
open opposition, he sought to accomplish by 
policy and strategy. Silently, stealthily, the prin- 
ciples of evil crept into the church of Christ, 
which had grown up in spite of the pagan oppo- 
sition. The humility of the Son of God at first 
characterized the body of Christians, and therein 
lay the power of the early church. Christian 
mothers gathered their children about them as 
the Jewish mothers had done in the days of 
their prosperity. From infancy the truths of 
God's Word were implanted in their hearts; 
sacred songs were on their lips ; the Word of 



taken away, and the place of his 
sanctuary was cast down. 

Dan. 8:11. 

He that toucheth you toucheth 
the apple of his eye. Zech. 2 : 8. 

The Lord's portion is his people : 
Jacob is the lot of his inheritance. 
He found him in a desert land, and 
in the waste howling wilderness ; 
he led him about, he instructed 
him, he kept him as the apple of 
his eye. Deut, 32:9-12. 



These things I have spoken unto 
you, that in me ye might have 
peace. In the world ye shall have 
tribulation : but be of good cheer ; 
I have overcome the world. 

John 16 :33. 

Acts 3 : 13-16. 

Acts 4 : 26, 27. 

Acts 7 : 52. 

The dragon was wroth with the 

woman, and went to make war with 

the remnant of her seed, which keep 

the commandments of God, and 

have the testimony of Jesus Christ. 

Rev. 12 : 17. 
Gen. 3 : 15. 

Rev. 12 rg, 12. 

Through his policy also he shall 
cause craft to prosper in his hand ; 
and by peace shall destroy many. 
Dan. 8 : 25. 

Matt. 7 : 15. 

Also of your own selves shall 
men arise, sjieaking perverse things, 
to draw away disciples after them. 
Acts 20 : 30. 

Zech. 3 :6, 7. 



From a child thou hast known 
the Holy Scriptures, which are able 
to make thee wise unto salvation 
through faith which is in Christ 
Jesus. 2 Tim. 3 : 15. 



128 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



2 Tim. I : 5. 
Acts 15 : 20, 28, 29. 
Acts 21 :2s. 
Rev, 2 : 14. 

If any man see thee which hast 
knowledge sit at meat in the idol's 
temple, shall not the conscience of 
him which is weak be emboldened 
to eat those things which are of- 
fered to idols : and through thy 
knowledge shall the weak brother 
perish, for whom Christ died ? But 
when ye sin so against the breth- 
ren, and wound their weak con- 
science, ye sin against Christ. 

I Cor. 8 :9-i3. 

I Cor. 10 : 19, 20. 

Rom. I : 8. 

Col. 1:6. 

Gen, 3 : i. 

Eph. 4 : 14. 

Rom. 16: 17, 18. 

I Cor. 1:11 

Phil. I : 15, 16. 

Titus 3 : 9. 

Mark 10:35-37. 

Isa. 8 : 12. 
James 5 : 1-6. 



72. And an host u/as given him 
against the daily sacrifice by rea- 
son of transgression, and it cast 
down the truth to the ground; 
and it practiced and prospered. 
Dan. 8 : 12, 



1 know this, that after my depart- 
ing shall grievous wolves enter in 
among you, rot sparing the flock. 

Acts 20 : 29, 30, 

2 Thess, 2 :4-7. 



God was the text-book from which all lessons 
were learned. Parents dared not allow their 
children to remain in the pagan schools, for the 
very atmosphere breathed of the heathen wor- 
ship ; the air was heavy with the odor of sacri- 
fices to idols. They dared not sit at the table 
with those with whom they had once been fa- 
miliar, for the food had been consecrated to 
idols. In the most careful way the rising gen- 
eration was educated, and Christianity took the 
place of paganism. 

But Satan could not see his power overthrown 
without making a desperate struggle, and by 
stealth he insinuated his principles into the new 
church. Wrangles, disputes, theological con- 
troversies drove out the spirit of life. Self- 
exaltation put men in power ; the equal rights 
of all fell before the rising power of a hier- 
archy. The principle of trusts and monopo- 
lies, of unions and leagues, which had always 
characterized pagan society, twined its tendrils 
about the new organization of Christians, and 
choked its life. Paganism — the ^^ daily''' of 
Dan. 8:12 — was taken away, it is true, and 
Rome became nominally a Christian empire. 
Her emperor professed the name of Christ, and 
carried before his army the banner of the cross. 
Decrees were issued causing men to worship 
according to the dictates of Rome. Then it 
was that man — the emperor — and the empire 
attempted to exalt themselves above the God of 
heaven. The ^principles of Lucifer himself had 
crowded out the truth of Christ, and, as was 
shown to Daniel, the truth was cast down to 
the ground. 

To John this transfer from paganism to the 



THE EIGHTH CHAPTER OF DANIEL 



129 



papacy is represented as a transfer of power 
from the dragon to the beast. Rev. 13:7. The 
eleventh and twelfth verses of the eighth chap- 
ter of Daniel are parallel with the twenty-first 
and twenty-fifth verses of the seventh chapter, 
where the little horn makes war with the saints, 
and speaks great words against the Most High, 
attempting to change His times and law. 
Twice Daniel had been shown the twofold his- 
tory of Rome : first as a pagan power, when it 
was more cruel than any pagan government be- 
fore it ; and later as a professedly Christian 
power, when its cruelty far surpassed all. the 
workings of paganism. 

The prophet was heart-sick as he beheld these 
scenes and the deep sufferings of the people of 
God. He was unable to grasp the idea of the 
time when these events, should occur, and 
thought that his own people, perhaps the very 
ones who were at that time in bondage to Baby- 
lon, would be called to suffer these things. The 
investigative judgment had been revealed to 
him, when the cases of men would be tried 
and the oppressor condemned. The end also 
of this oppressive power he had been shown 
was the lake of fire, when Roman authority 
should be broken without hands. In Nebu- 
chadnezzar's dream the end would come when 
the stone cut out without hands should smite 
the image and finally fill the whole earth. As 
these scenes passed like a panorama before the 
eye of the prophet, angels also watched, for they 
are interested in all that affects God's people on 
earth. 

The universe has waited now six thousand 
years for the final issue between truth and 

9 



Yea, he magnified himself even to 
the prince of the host. ... It cast 
down the truth to the ground ; and 
it practiced and prospered. 

Dan. 8 :ii, 12. 



I beheld, and the same horn made 
war with the saints, and prevailed 
against them. Dan. 7 •.21. 



Dan. 7 : 25. 
Dan. 7:7,8. 
Dan. 8 : 23-25. 



O Lord, hear ; O Lcid, forgive ; 
O Lord, hearken and do ; defer not, 
for thine own sake, O my God : for 
thy city and thy people are called 
by thy name. Dan. g : 19. 



The judgment was set, and the 
books were opened. 

Dan. 7 : 9, 10. 

I Peter 4 : 17. 

I beheld even till the beast was 
slain, and his body destroyed, and 
given to the burning flame. 

Dan. 7 : 11. 

Thou sawest till that a stone was 
cut out, which was not in hands, 
which smote the image upon his 
feet that were of iron and clay, and 
brake them to pieces. 

Dan 2 : 34 [margin). 

The stone that smote the image 
became a great mountain, and filled 
the whole earth. Dan! 2 : 35. 

Which things the angels desire 
to look into. i Peter i : 12, 

75. Then I heard one saint speak- 
ing, and another saint said unto 
that certain saint which spalie. 



I30 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



How long shall be the vision con- 
cerning the daily sacrifice, and the 
transgression of desolation, to giue 
both the sanctuary and the host to 
be trodden under foot ? 

14. And he said unto me. Unto 
two thousand and three hundred 
days : then shall the sanctuary be 
cleansed. 

16. And it came to pass, when I, 
even I Daniel, had seen the vision, 
and sought for the meaning, then, 
behold, there stood before me as 
the appearance of a man. 

16. And I heard a man's voice 
between the banks of Ulai, which 
called, and said, Gabriel, make 
this man to understand the vision. 

17. So he came near where I 
stood: and when he came, I was 



error. It is not strange that angelic hosts 
wonder when the struggle will end, and when 
the song of songs can be taken up by the choir 
of heaven. These times are hidden with the 
Father, but man may understand some of the 
secrets of the Almighty. The interest Heaven 
manifests in these scenes of earth is shown by 
the thirteenth verse. One angel called to Ga- 
briel, asking, ** How long shall be the vision 
concerning the daily sacrifice [pagan Rome], and 
the transgression of desolation [the papacy], to 
give both the sanctuary 
and he host to 




^»'" 

<•;*«■•■ 



aM tliri^. Kuttdre 
then ^Kallithi? 

be cleansed. 



^l '^ ' -\^v ' -- \^* ?v^^^fe^ ^ 



afraid, and felt upon my face : but 
he said unto me, Understand, 
son of man : for at the time of the 
end shall be the vision. 

18. Now as he was speaking with 
me, I was in a deep sleep on my 
face toward the ground : but he 
touched me, and set me upright. 

19. And he said, Behold, I will 
make thee know what shall be in 
the last end of the indignation : 
for at the time appointed the end 
shall be. 

20. The ram which thou sawest 
having two horns are the kings of 
Media and Persia. 

21. And the rough goat is the 
king of Grecia: and the great horn 




be trodden under foot ? " 

And Gabriel answered, 

" Unto two thousand and three hundred days ; 

then shall the sanctuary be cleansed." 

Daniel longed for an understanding of what 
he had seen, and the close connection between 
human longing and Christ's heart is shown 
here ; for Christ, appearing as a man, stood 
before the prophet, and to Gabriel He said, 
"Make this man to understand the vision." 
Gabriel drew near, and before his exceeding 
brightness Daniel fell upon the ground with 
his face to the earth. Then, as if to lift the 
strain from the mind of him who carried Israel 



THE EIGHTH CHAPTER OF DANIEL. 



131 



on his heart, he said, " Understand, O son of 
man : for at the time of the end shall be the 
vision. ... I will make thee know what shall 
be in the last end of the indignation ; for at the 
time appointed the end shall be. " 

Gabriel took up the history of the kingdoms 
one by one, and when he came to the two thou- 
sand three hundred days, he said, ** The vision 
of the evening and the morning [Dan. 8:14, 
margin, same as the two thousand three hun- 
dred days] which was told is true. Wherefore 
shut thou up the vision ; for it shall -be for 
many days." Daniel fainted, for the crucifixion 
of the Saviour had just been revealed to him, 
and the view was more than he could endure. 
Further explanation was delayed until a later 
vision. The events which would take place dur- 
ing that period are noted in the following chap- 
ter of the book of Daniel. 

In addition to the truth taught by the proph- 
ecy itself, there are connected with the eighth 
chapter of Daniel some underlying principles of 
wonderful beauty. 

The spirit of prophecy is a gift to be coveted. 
God never leaves Himself without some repre- 
sentatives on earth, and among His people cer- 
tain ones are prophets. The study of Daniel's 
life reveals the character which makes it pos- 
sible for man to understand the language of 
God. A clean, pure soul is necessary. Gabriel 
is the angel of prophecy, the messenger who 
bears the light of truth to men. To the father 
of John the Baptist he said, *' I am Gabriel, 
that stand in the presence of God." To Dan- 
iel he said, ''There is none that holdeth with 
me in these things, but Michael your Prince" — 



that is between his eyes is the 
first liing, 

22. Now that being broken, 
whereas four stood up for it, four 
kingdoms shall stand up out of 
the nation, but not in his power. 

23. And in the latter time of 
their liingdom, when the trans- 
gressors are come to the full, a 
king of fierce countenance, and 
underjstanding dark sentences, 
shall stand up. 

24. And his power shall be 
mighty, but not by his own power: 
and he shall destroy wonderfully, 
and , shall prosper, and practice, 
and shall destroy the mighty and 
the holy people. 

25. And through his policy also 
he shall cause craft to prosper in 
his hand; and he shall magnify 
himself in his heart, and by peace 
shall destroy many : he shall also 
stand up against the Prince of 
princes; but he shall be broken 
without hand. 

26. And the vision of the evening 
and the morning which was told is 
true : wherefore shut thou up the 
vision ; for it shall be for many 
days. 

27. And I Daniel fainted, and 
was sick certain days ; afterward 
I rose up, and did the king's busi- 
ness; and I was astonished at the 
vision, but none understood it. 

Dan. 8 : 13-27. 

Follow after charity, and desire 
spiritual gifts, but rather that ye 
may prophesy. i Cor. 14 : i. 

I Cor. 12 :28, 29. 

He gave some, apostles ; and 
some, prophets ; and some, evange- 
lists ; and some, pastors and 
teachers. Eph. 4:11. 

Blessed are the pure in heart : 
for they shall see God. 

Matt. 5 : 8. 

I am Gabriel, that stand in the 
presence of God ; and am sent to 
speak unto thee, and to show thee 
these glad tidings. Luke i : 19. 

There is none that holdeth with 
me in these things, but Michael 
your prince. Dan. 10:21. 



132 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



Isa. 14 : 12-14. 
Luke I : 26, 27. 
Luke 2 : 13, 14. 



There shall come a Star out of 
Jacob. Num. 24 : 17. 

When they had heard the king, 
they departed ; and, lo, the star, 
which they saw in the east, went 
before them, till it came and stood 
over where the young child was. 
Matt. 2 : g. 

Then the devil leaveth him, and, 
behold, angels came and ministered 
unto him. Matt. 4 : 11. 

There appeared an angel unto 
him from heaven, strengthening 
him. Luke 22 143. 

For fear of him the keepers did 
shake,, and became as dead men. 
Matt. 28 : 4. 
Matt. 28 : 2. 

Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which 
was crucified : he is risen ; he is not 
here : behold the place where they 
laid him. Mark 16:6. 

Why seek ye the living among 
the dead? Luke 24 : 5. 

Acts I :g-ii. 

Lift up your heads, O ye gates ; 
even lift them up, ye everlasting 
doors ; and the King of glory shall 
come in. Who is this King of glory ? 
The Lord of hosts, he is the King of 
glory Selah. Psa. 24:9, 10. 

Dan. 10:21. 
Rev. 19 : ID. 
Rev. 22 : 9. 



For there are three that bear 
record in heaven, the Father, the 
Word, and the Holy Ghost : and 
these three ar* one. i John 5 : 7, 



Christ Himself. Gabriel is, then, the personal 
attendant of the Son of God, holding the posi- 
tion as light bearer which Satan occupied before 
his fall. It was Gabriel who announced the 
birth of the Saviour to Mary in Nazareth. It 
was he who led the angel choir on the plains of 
Bethlehem ; he with others, as the star, guided 
the wise men to the Babe of Bethlehem. 

It was Gabriel who brought strength to the 
Saviour at the close of the forty days' conflict 
in the wilderness of temptation, and he who 
lifted the prostrate form of the Son of Man in 
Gethsemane, and pillowed that aching head, wet 
with bloody sweat, upon his own bosom. Before 
Gabriel, the Roman guard fell like dead men, 
and his voice shook the earth as the Saviour 
came from the tomb. Taking his seat on the 
empty sepulcher, he met the disciples and the 
women, and bade them seek their Lord among 
the living. 

The Saviour ascended to heaven, leaving His 
disciples alone, but not alone, for *' behold, two 
men stood by them in white apparel." While 
heaven rang with songs of welcome to the re- 
turning Son of God, two angels stood on earth 
to comfort the lonely ones. One of these was 
Gabriel, Christ's attendant angel. Of all the 
angels of heaven none have been more closely 
connected with man than has Gabriel. Yet to 
John, who fell before him to worship, he said, 
" See thou do it not ; for I am thy fellow-serv- 
ant." Gabriel was only an angel, upheld by the 
same Power that sustained John, and he would 
not for one moment allow John to be deceived 
by thinking he was a part of the great Trinity 
of heaven, and worthy of the worship of man- 



THE EIGHTH CHAPTER OF DANIEL. 



133 



kind. He assured John that he 
was only one of the hosts of 
"ministering spirits sent forth to 
minister for them who should be 
heirs of salvation," by saying, ** I 
am thy fellow-servant." So 
bound up in the affairs of man 
is this mighty angel that he 
counts himself one with us. This 




"The ang:el answered 
and said unto the women, Pear not ye : for I know 
that ye seek Jesus." 



Why should we tremble to convey 
The Christian to the tomb ? 

There once the flesh of Jesus lay, 
And left a long perfume. 

The graves of all His saints He blest, 

And softened every bed ; 
Where should the dying members rest, 

But with their dying Head ? 

Thence He arose, ascending high. 
And showed our feet the way : 

Up to the Lord we all shall fly 
At the great rising day. 

— Isaac Vt'atts. 



134 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



The Revelation of Jesus Christ, 
which God gave unto him, to show 
unto his servants things which must 
shortly come to pass ; and he sent 
and signified it by his angel unto 
his servant John. Rev. x : i. 



John 8 : 44. 

Deut. 13 : 1-3. 

There shall arise false Christs, 
and false prophets, and shall show 
great signs and wonders ; insomuch 
that, if it were possible, they shall 
deceive the very elect. 

Matt. 24 : 24. 

Acts 16 : 16. 

Acts 13 :6-io. 

Rev. 16 : 16-18. 



No marvel ; for Satan himself is 
transformed into an angel of light. 
2 Cor. II : 14. 



2 Chron. 20 : 20. 
Num. 12 :6. 



I saw in a vision, and I was by 
the river of Ulai. Dan. 8 : 2. 

I saw him come close unto the 
ram and break his two horns : and 
there was no power in the ram to 
stand before him, but he cast him 
down to the ground, and stamped 
upon him ; and there was none that 
could deliver the ram out of his 
hand. Dan. 8 : 7. 

Then I Daniel looked, and, be- 
hold, there stood other two, the 
one on this side of the bank of the 
river, and the other on that side of 
the bank of the river. And one 
said to the man clothed in linen, 
which was upon the waters of the 
river, How long shall it be to the 
end of these wonders ? 

Dan. 12: 5, 6. 



is the one whom Christ has used to convey 
the light of future events to men upon earth. 
To every prophet, from Moses to John, the 
same angel came, and to the remnant church 
it is still Gabriel who reveals truth through 
the person of the prophet. 

Before his fall, Lucifer was the light bearer. 
Since that time he has used his power in bearing 
darkness to the sons of men. There always 
have been, and will be to the end of time, false 
prophets and seers. Men who might be used 
by God, were their hearts given to Him, often 
yield themselves to the influence of the counter- 
feit power. Herein lies the explanation of spirit 
manifestations. So great will be this power that 
before the end Satan himself, personifying an 
angel of light, will appear on the earth, deceiv- 
ing, if possible, the very elect. The safety of 
God's people will lie in heeding the voice of 
Gabriel as he speaks through some chosen in- 
strument. Christ speaks through Gabriel to 
His prophet. 

Daniel, though living in the palace of Shu- 
shan, was carried by the angel to the river Ulai. 
On the banks of the river he witnessed the con- 
test between the ram and the goat — between 
the Medo-Persian empire and the Greeks. Ulai 
represents the river of time, which has its 
source in eternity. Time with which we have 
to deal is but an infinitely small fraction of 
eternity, as a drop in the bucket, as the stream 
to the ocean. But on the banks of this river 
all nations are located ; there they rise and 
there they fall. Christ presides over the waters, 
and His voice was heard from between the 
banks of the river calling to Gabriel, *' Make 



THE EIGHTH CHAPTER OF DANEL. 



135 



this man to understand the vision." Nation Dan. 8:16. 

. , He shall drink of the brook in 

may contend with nation on its banks, but the the way : therefore shall he Uft ap 

" Holy Watcher" is ever near. This river con- '^^^'^^' ^'- "° = 7. 

tains the water of life for all who will drink, but 

all nations have built river walls exceeding the 

height of those of Babylon, to keep men away J^"" ^^"^^" ^^^^ ^^^7^*^^ 

c> J y r J between you and your God, and 

from the water, and to break the influence of your sins have hid his face from 

-_. , 11 r 1 111 you, that he will not hear. 

Him who calls from between the banks. isa. 59:2, 





CHAPTER X. 



THE HISTORY OF THE JEWS. 



CHAPTER 9. 



The vision of the evening and 
the morning which was told is true. 
Dan. 8:26. 



TEKEL ; Thou art weighed in 
the balances, and art found wanting. 
PERES . Thy kingdom is divided, 
and given to the Medes and Per- 
sians. Dan. 5 • 27, 28. 



A FEW months only elapsed between the 
vision of the eighth chapter and the events 
which the first part of the ninth chapter re- 
cords. The parting words of Gabriel had 
been that the things seen concerning the 
two thousand three hundred days were 
true. Daniel was unable to hear the ex- 
planation at this time; and while he went about 
the king's business, he thought often upon the 
vision. In the meantime he had been called 
from Shusha!n into Babylon, into the king's 
court, to interpret the strange writing on the 
wall. The fate of the nation had been read, and 



136 



THE HISTORY OF THE JEWS. 



137 



the words had scarcely died awa.y before the 
slaughter of the Babylonians began. That same 
night Belshazzar was slain, and the king of the 
Medes was proclaimed monarch of the world. 
By Darius, Daniel had been made chief presi- 
dent, and occupied a position in Babylon next to 
Cyrus, the associate of Darius the king. 

During the turmoil and bustle of all the 
change in affairs, while Daniel's hands were 
filled with court duties and business cares, 
he yet had time for prayer and study. 

Prophecy had foretold that Cyrus would re- 
store to the Jews their freedom ; the time of 
their deliverance drew near, and Daniel searched 
carefully for an understanding of the time. The 
prophecies of Jeremiah were the only ones which 
told plainly the length of the captivity. Doubt- 
less the mind of Daniel was perplexed over the 
two thousand three hundred days, of which Ga- 
briel had spoken, for to the Hebrews the temple 
in Jerusalem was God's sanctuary, and the 
cleansing, to them, meant the removal of unholy 
hands from Mount Zion. 

Twice in the book of Jeremiah the length of 
the captivity is stated. " These nations shall 
serve the king of Babylon seventy years. And 
it shall come to pass, when the seventy years 
are accomplished, that I will punish the king of 
BabyloHv* Again the prophet had said, *' After 
•seventy years be accomplished, at Babylon I will 
visit you, and perform my good word toward 
you, in causing you to return to this place." 
Babylon had fallen, • and Jerusalem had been 
desolate nearly seventy years. A crisis was 
near for God's people, and Daniel sought by 
prayer and fasting to understand the matter. 



In that night was Bels'iazzir the 
king of the Chaldeans slain. And 
Darius tne Median took the king- 
dom, being about threescore and 
two years old. Dan. 5 :3o, ^ 

Over these three presidents : of 
whom Daniel was first : that the 
princes might give accounts unto 
them, and the king should have no 
damage. Dan. 6:2. 

7. In the first year of Darius the 
son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of 
the Medes, which was made /<ing 
over the realm of the Chaldeans; 

2. In the first year of his reign 
I Daniel understood by books the 
number of the years, wherof the 
word of the Lord came to Jere- 
miah the prophet, that he would 
accomplish seventy years in the 
desolations of Jerusalem. 

Dan. 9 ; 1, 2. 
Thus saith the Lord, That after 
seventy years be accomplished at 
Babylon I will visit you, and per- 
form my good word toward you, in 
causing you to return to this place. 
Jer. 29 : 10. 
Jer. 25 : II, 12. 

2 Chron. 36:21. 

3. And I set my face unto the 
Lord God, to seek by prayer and 
supplications, with fasting, and 
sackcloth, and ashes. 

4. And I prayed unto the Lord 
my God, and made my confession, 
and said, Lord, the great and 
dreadful God, keeping the cove- 
nant and mercy to them that love 
him, and to them that keep his 
commandments ; 

6. We have sinned, and have 
committed iniquity, and have done 
wickedly, and have rebelled, even 
by departing from thy precepts 
and from thy Judgments : 

6. Neither have we hearkened 
unto thy servants the prophets, 
which spake in thy name to our 
kings, our princes, and our fathers, 
and to all the people of the land. 

7. Lord, righteousness belong- 
eth unto thee, but unto us con- 
fusion of faces, as at this day; 
to the men of Judah, and to the 
inhabitants of Jerusalem, and unto 



138 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



all Israel, that are near, and that 
are far off, through all the coun- 
tries whither thou hast driven 
them, because of their trespass 
that they have trespassed against 
thee. 

8. Lord, to us betongeth con- 
fusion of face, to our kings, to our 
princes, and to our fathers be- 
cause we have sinned against 
thee. 

9. To the Lord our God belong 
mercies and forgiveness, though 
we have rebelled against him. 

Dan. 9:3-9. 
Ezra 8 •.•21-23. 
Neh. 2 : 19. 

10. Neither have we obeyed the 
voice of the Lord our God, to walk 
in his laws, which he set before us 
by his servants the prophets. 

Gen. ig : 12-16. 

11. Yea, alt Israel have trans- 
gressed thy taw, even by departing, 
that they might not obey thy 
voice; therefore the curse is 
poured upon us, and the oath that 
is written in the law of Moses the 
servant of God, because we have 
sinned against him. 

Zech. 7 :ii. 

12. And he hath confirmed his 
words, which he spake against us, 
and against our Judges that 
Judged us, by bringing upon us a 
great evil : for under the whole 
heaven hath not been done as hath 
been done upon Jerusalem, 

13. As it is written in the law of 
Moses, all this evil is come upon 
us: yet made we not our prayer 
before the Lord our God, that we 
might turn from our iniquities, 
and understand thy truth. 

14. Therefore hath the Lord 
watched upon the evil, and 
brought it upon us : fer the Lord 
our God is righteous in all his 
works which he doeth : for we 
obeyed not his voice. 

16. And now, Lord our God, 
that hast brought thy people forth 
out of the land of Egypt with 
a mighty hand, and hast gotten 
thee renown, as at this day; we 
have sinned, we have done 
wickedly. 



This is one of the instances in the Scriptures 
when a prayer is recorded. This one is given 
as an example of the fervent, effectual prayer 
of a righteous man, which availeth much. Dan- 
iel realized that sin had darkened the vision of 
many of Grod's professed people. Some who 
were in Babylon were careless and indifferent 
concerning the truths of God. Many had got- 
ten them homes, and rested secure in the assur- 
ance that, when the captivity began, they were 
told to buy land and build homes. Some were 
content with present surroundings, and dreaded 
the difficulties which must attend the journey to 
Jerusalem, which was in the hands of hostile 
tribes, and where there were no pleasant homes. 
Jerusalem should be built, they agreed, but 
others should do it, not they. 

A love of Babylon was strong in the hearts 
of many. Seventy years after the decree of 
Cyrus had given all the Jews liberty to re- 
turn to Palestine, there were still thousands 
of them in Babylon. In fact, but a small per 
cent, of the Jews ever returned. The youth, 
who had been educated in the city, had, many of 
them, like the daughters of Lot in Sodom, par- 
taken so largely of its customs, that they lin- 
gered among the heathen, though angels bade 
them hurry out. The spirit of prophecy was 
passed by with a few remarks, or fell upon ears 
entirely deaf ; although in bondage, present con- 
ditions were preferable to freedom with the ef- 
fort necessary to obtain it. Daniel knew of this 
condition, and he confessed the sins of the peo- 
ple before God. He identified himself with his 
people. His is one of the most wonderful 
prayers on record. 



THE HISTORY OF THE JEWS. 



139 



This man, whom heaven called " greatly be- 
loved," in whom no fault could be found, even 
by his bitterest enemies, placed himself beneath 
the load of sin which was oppressing Israel. 
Bowed before God, he met the Father with the 
words, " We have sinned, and committed iniquity, 
and have done wickedly, and have rebelled;" 
" neither have we hearkened unto Thy servants 
the prophets." "O Lord, righteousness belong- 
eth unto Thee, but unto^i" confusion of face, to 
our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, 
because we have sinned;" **we have rebelled 
against Him ; neither have we obeyed ; " " the 
ciu'se is poured upon us ;'^ "all this evil is come 
upon us^ yet made we not our prayer before 
the Lord our God, that we might turn from our 
iniquities ; " " we obeyed not His voice ; " *^ we 
have sinned, we have done wickedly;" "be- 
cause for our sins and for the iniquities of our 
fathers," "behold our desolations;" ** we do 
not present our supplications before Thee for 
our righteousnesses." 

Before the Father we have One, even Christ, 
who " hath borne our griefs and carried our sor- 
rows," "who His own self bare our sins in His 
own body." Daniel was a representative of 
Christ, and he had lived so close to God, and 
knew Him so intimately, that the spirit which 
distinguished Christ from all others was mani- 
fested in Daniel also. He was a true shepherd 
in Israel, and his prayer is a rebuke to all self- 
righteousness ; a cutting rebuke to those who 
say by word or act, " I am more holy than thou." 

"O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, 
hearken and do ; defer not for Thine own sake, 
O my God, for Thy city and Thy people are 



16. Lord, according to all thy 
righteousness, I beseech thee, let 
thine anger and thy fury be 
turned away from thy city Jeru- 
salem, thy holy mountain : because 
for our sins, and for the iniquities 
of our fathers, Jerusalem and thy 
people are become a reproach to 
all that are about us. 

17. Nouj therefore, our God, 
hear the orayer of thy servant, 
and his supplications, and cause 
thy face to shine upon thy sanctu- 
ary that is desolate, for the Lord's 
safte. 

18. my God, incline thine ear 
and hear; open thine eyes, and 
behold our desolations, and the 
city which is called by thy name : 
for we do not present our suppli~ 
cations before thee for our right- 
eousness, but for thy great mer- 
cies. Dan. 9 ; 70-78. 



Isa. S3 '.4. 
I Peter 2 : 24. 



2 Cor. 3 : 18. 
2 Cor. 5 : 20. 



Isa. 60 :2. 
John 10:11-17. 



Isa. 65:5. 

19. OLord, hear; Lord forgive; 
Lord, hearlien and do ; defer not, 
for thine own saf<e, my God: 
for thy city and thy people are 
called by thy name. 

Dan. 9 : 19. 



140 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



A broken and a contrite heart, O 
God, thou wilt not despise. 

Ps. 51 :i7. 

Acquaint now thyself with him, 
and be at peace : thereby good shall 
come unto tliee. Job 22:21. 

20. And whiles I was speaking, 
and praying, and confessing my 
sin and the sin of my people Israel, 
and presenting my supplication 
before the Lord my God for the 
holy mountain of my God , 



called by Thy name." Such was the entreaty 
of a burdened heart. Such were the words 
with which Daniel approached his God. He 
was acquainted with the Father, and knew that 
his words reached the throne of heaven. Faith 
and prayer are the two arms which mortal man 
may entwine around the neck of Infinite Love. 
Christ stooped to listen, and bade Gabriel speed 
earthward. We let go of the 
arm of the Lord too soon in 
our prayers. We should 
press our petitions higher 
and still higher. God 
sometimes tests the 
strength of our desires by 
delaying an immediate an- 
swer. 

" Yea, whiles I was 
speaking in prayer, even 
the man Gabriel, whom I 
had seen in the vision at 
the beginning, being 
caused to fly swiftly, 
touched me about the 
time of the evening obla- 
tion.'* 

The very thing for 
which Daniel had 
asked, was first men- 
tioned as Gabriel laid 
his hands upon the 
27. Yea, whiles I was speaking prophct. *' O Daniel, I am now comc forth to 

in prayer even the man Gabriel . ^hee skill and understanding. At the be- 

whom I had seen in the vision at 6^^^ \.i.i.y^\^ w.±v t, 

the beginning, being caused to fly ginning of thy supplicatiou the w.ord [margin] 

swiftly, touched me aboutthe time , - ,, 

of the evening oblation. camc forth, and I am come to show thee. 

Dan. 9:20, 21. Hcavcu was morc interested than man could be 




* • O Daniel, I am now come forth to give the skill 
and understanding." 



THE HISTORY OF THE JEWS. 



141 



in the very thing for which Daniel prayed, and 
as soon as the channel . was open, the Spirit 
flowed in. In the spiritual as in the natural 
world, a vacuum is abhorred. As the air rushes 
into a vessel when a liquid is poured out, so the 
Holy Spirit fills the heart when it is emptied of 
self. If there was more room made for Christ 
in our hearts, the pentecostal experience would 
often be repeated. 

God has many favorites among the sons of 
men. Indeed, every man is a special favorite, 
and highly honored by the King of heaven, but 
there are very few to whom angels have spoken 
the word, **Thou art greatly beloved." The 
marginal reading of the twenty-third verse gives 
the Hebrew rendering as "a man of desires." 
That man whose desires are heavenward, who 
longs for spiritual food as the hart panteth 
after the water brook, is greatly beloved of God, 
for God is in search of such to fulfill His will 
on earth. To such Gabriel can speak. 

Beginning with the twenty-fourth verse the 
angel explains the period of time, the two thou- 
sand three hundred days of Daniel 8:14. 
There are no preliminaries. Gabriel knows 
the thoughts of the prophet, and hence he 
says, " Seventy weeks are determined [or cut 
off] upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to 
finish the transgression, and to make an end of 
sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and 
to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal 
up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the 
most holy." The entire future history of the 
Jews as a nation is contained in this one verse. 
No other history ever crowded so much into so 
few words. Here is given the exact date for 



22. And he informed me, and 
talked with me, and said, Dan- 
iel, / am now come forth to give 
thee skill and understanding. 

23. At the beginning of thy sup- 
plications the commandment came 
forth; and I am come to show thee; 
for thou art greatly beloued : 
therefore understand the matter, 
and consider the qision, 

Dan. 9 : 22, 23. 
Behold, I . stand at the door, and 
knock : if any man hear my voice, 
and open the door, I will come in 
to him, and will sup with him, and 
he with me. Rev. 3 :2o. 

Them that honor me I will honor. 
I Sam. 2 : 30. 

Because he hath set his love upon 
me, therefore will I deliver him : 
I will set him on high, because he 
hath known my name. 

Ps. gi : 14. 
Thou art a man of desires, there- 
fore understand the matter, and 
consider the vision. 

Dan. g : 23 [margin]. 

I have esteemed the words of his 
mouth more than my necessary 
food. Job 23 : 12, 

As the hart panteth after the 
water brooks, so panteth my soul 
after thee, O God. Ps. 42 : i. 

The Lord said unto Satan, Hast 
thou considered my servant Job, 
that there is none like him in the 
earth, a perfect and an upright man, 
one that feareth God, and eschew- 
ethevil? Job. i :8. 

24. Seventy weeks are deter- 
mined upon thy people and upon 
thy holy city, to finish the trans- 
gression, and to make an end of 
sins, and to make reconciliation 
for iniquity, and to bring in ever- 
lasting righteousness, and to seal 
up the vision and prophecy, and to 
anoint the most holy, 

Dan. 9 : 24. 
Thou shalt take the anointing oil, 
and anoint the tabernacle, and all 
that is therein, and slialt hallow it, 
and it sliall be holy. Ex. 40 : g. 

Mark i : 15. 



142 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



Then Paul and Barnabas waxed 
bold, and said, It was necessary 
that the word of God should first 
have been spoken to you : but see- 
ing ye put it from you, and judge 
youi selves unworthy of everlasting 
life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles. 
Acts 13 : 46. 

The time is come that judgment 
must begin at the house of God ; 
and if it first begin at us, what shall 
the end be of tliem that obey not 
the gospel of God ? 

I Peter 4 : 17. 



I have not spoken in secret, in a 
dark place of the earth ; I said not 
unto the seed of Jacob, Seek ye me 
in vain : I the Lord speak right- 
eousness, I declare things that are 
right. Isa. 45 : ig. 



26. Know therefore and under- 
stand, that from the going forth 
of the commandment to restore 
and to build Jerusalem unto the 
Messiah the Prince shall be seven 
weeks, and threescore and two 
weeks: the street shall be built 
again, and the wall even in troub- 
lous times. 

26. And after three score and 
two weeks shall Messiah be cut 
off, but not for himself : and the 
people of the prince that shall 
come shall destroy the city and the 
sanctuary; and the end thereof 
shall be with a flood, and unto the 
end of the war desolations are 
determined. Dan. 9:26, 26, 

Heb. 2:3. 



Search the scriptures : for in them 
ye think ye have eternal life : and 
they are they which testify of me. 
John 5 : 39. 



the beginning of the work of Christ ; the time 
allotted Israel as a nation for repentance, the 
time when type would meet antitype in all sacri- 
ficial offerings ; the period when probation 
would end for the Hebrew race, and everlast- 
ing righteousness would be preached to the 
world at large. In this interview with Gabriel 
only that part of the two thousand three hun- 
dred days which applied to the Hebrew nation 
was mentioned. To Daniel had already been 
revealed the history of the nations of the world ; 
the two thousand three hundred days has to do 
more especially with God's people, independ- 
ently of national governments. 

The period of seventy weeks, or four hundred 
and ninety days [70 x 7 == 490], of prophetic 
time, covers a period of four hundred and ninety 
years, during which Jewish history as such 
would continue. This four hundred and 
ninety years did not begin at once, for 
the angel said they should begin to reckon 
from the going forth of the command- 
ment to restore and build Jerusalem. The 
period of seventy weeks of Jewish history is 
thus divided by the angel: Seven weeks for 
building the walls and streets of Jerusalem; 
threescore and two (62) weeks till the work of 
the Messiah ; and one week, which would cover 
the period of His ministry and the time follow- 
ing until the gospel should go forth to the Gen- 
tiles. This last week is devoted to the confir- 
mation of the covenant. 

For an understanding of the first division, the 
seven weeks or forty^nine years, we have the 
history as recorded in Ezra, Nehemiah, Haggai, 
and Zechariah. God raised up Cyrus and placed 



THE HISTORY OF THE JEWS. 



143 



him on the throne, that he might restore the 
Jews to their native city. Long before the 
Babylonish captivity began, the prophet Isaiah 
(44: 28) wrote of Cyrus, "He is My shepherd, 
and shall perform all My pleasure ; even saying 
to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built ; and to the 
temple, thy foundation shall be laid." 

In the first chapter of the book of Ezra is 
recorded the decree of Cyrus. The fulfillment 
by Cyrus of the prophecy of Isaiah is striking : 
" In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia 
. . . the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus, 
the king of Persia, that he made a proclamation 
throughout all his kingdom, and put it in writ- 
ing, saying, Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, 
The Lord God of heaven . . . hath charged 
me to build him a house at Jerusalem." 

Then it was that every Jew in Babylon was 
at liberty to return to Palestine. If necessary, 
the expenses of going would be borne by the 
government of Cyrus. There was ample pro- 
vision for all the poor and the sick. Such a 
decree had never before been issued. Israel 
should have arisen en masse, taking with them 
all those of other nationalities, who, having heard 
the gospel, were willing to cast in their lot with 
the people of God. The land should have rung 
with shouts of praise and with the songs of the 
ransomed. The exodus from Babylon should 
have been a mighty witness to the nations of 
the earth of the power of the God of Israel. 
The exodus from Egypt, and the wonders 
attending the crossing of the Red Sea and 
the Jordan, and the feeding of the thou- 
sands in the wilderness, would have dwin- 
dled into insignificance had Israel taken ad 



That saith of Cyrus, He is' my 
shepherd, and shall perform all my 
pleasure : even saying to Jerusa- 
lem, Thou shalt be built ; and to 
the temple, Thy foundation shall 
be laid. Isa. 44 : 28. 

2 Chron. 36 :23. 

I have raised him up in righteous- 
ness, and I will direct all his ways : 
he shall build my city, and he shall 
let go my captives, not for price or 
reward, saith the Lord of hosts. 
Isa. 45 : 13, 

Who is there among you of all 
his people? his God be with him, 
and let him go up to Jerusalem, 
which is in Judah, and build the 
house of the Lord God of Israel, 
(he is the God,) which is in Jerusa- 
lem. Ezra I :3. 



They shall bring all your breth- 
ren for an offering unto the Lord 
out of all nations upon horses, and 
in chariots, and in litters, and upon 
mules, and upon swift beasts, to my 
holy mountain Jerusalem. 

Isa. 66 : 20. 



Shake thyself from the dust ; 

arise, and sit down, O Jerusalem : 

loose thyself from the bands of thy 

neck, O captive daughter of Zion. 

Isa. 52 :2. 



Therefore, behold, the days come, 
saith the Lord, that it shall no 
more be said. The Lord liveth, that 
brought up the children of Israel 
out of the land of Egypt ; But, 
The Lord liveth, that brought 
up the children of Israel from the 
land of the north, and from all 
the lands whither he had driven 
them ; and I will bring them again 
into their land that I gave unto 
their fathers. Jer. j6 : 14, 15. 



144 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



The whole congregation together 
was forty and two thousand three 
hundred and threescore. 

Ezra 2 : 64-67 



The prince of the kingdom of 
Persia withstood me one and twenty 
days ; but, lo, Michael, one of the 
chief princes, came to help me ; 
and I remained there with the 
kings of Persia. Dan. 10 : 13. 

Ezra I : 7-11. 
' "When the builders laid the foun- 
dation of the temple of the Lord, 
they set the priests in their apparel 
with trumpets and the Levites the 
sons of Asaph with cymbals, to 
praise the Lord, after the ordi- 
nance of David king of Israel. 
And they sang together by course in 
praising and giving thanks unto the 
Lord : because he is good, for his 
mercy endureth forever toward 
Israel. And all the people shouted 
with a great shout, when they 
praised the Lord, because the foun- 
dation of the house of the Lord was 
laid. Ezras : 10, n. 

Then ceased the work of the 
house of God which is at Jerusa- 
lem. So it ceased unto the second 
year of the reign of Darius king of 
Persia. Ezra 4 : 24. 

Ezra 5:1,2. 

Haggai, ist and 2d chapters. 

Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell 
in your ceiled houses, and this 
house lie waste? Haggai i '.4. 

Consider now from this day and 
upward, from the four and twen- 
tieth day of the ninth month, even 
from the day that the foundation of 
the Lord's temple was laid, con- 
sider it. Is the seed yet in the 
bam ? yea, as yet the vine and the 
fig tree, and the pomegranite, and 
the olive tree, hath not brought 
forth : from this day will I bless 
you. Haggai 2 : 18, 19. 

Ezra 5 : 1-17. 



vantage of the way which God had prepared. 

What was the result of the decree ? Daniel 
watched with anxiety the preparations which 
were made to depart, and at the end of the first 
year scarcely fifty thousand had journeyed from 
Babylon to Jerusalem. 

Cyrus was discouraged and disgusted because 
of the feeble response, and. relapsed into indif- 
ference. Later the angel of God with Michael's 
help pleaded with him for tAree weeks in order 
to touch his heart again. 

The vessels taken from the temple to Baby- 
lon by .Nebuchadnezzar were returned to the 
leaders of the Jews, who carried them back to 
Jerusalem. In the second year of their coming 
into Palestine, the work of restoring the temple 
was begun. The site of Solomon's temple, 
which had been burned by Nebuchadnezzar, was 
hidden by rubbish, the accumulation of nearly 
seventy years. The work of restoration was 
soon stopped by the Samaritans living in the 
country, and further progress was impossible 
until the issuing of a second decree by Darius, 
king of Persia, in 520 b. c. Work on the house 
of God , stopped for fifteen years. Then the 
prophets Haggai and Zechariah rebuked the peo- 
ple for their inactivity. 

It would seem that the Jews while professing 
to be God's people, yet built their own houses, 
and delayed work on the temple, because there 
was no direct command from the king to pro- 
ceed. But God wanted them to go forward, ex- 
ercising faith, and when, in response to the word 
of the Lord by the prophet Haggai, they did go 
to work, the Lord stirred up the heart of the 
Persian king to help them. This will be fur- 



THE HISTORY OF THE JEWS. 



145 



ther seen in chapter twelve. Men of the world, 
enemies of the Jews, openly complained to the 
king, but this, instead of hindering the work, 
occasioned a searching of the royal records, which 
revealed the decree of Cyrus. Then Darius, 
instead of rebuking the Jews, issued a 
decree that the work should go 
ward, and further commanded that 
work of building be helped forward 
money from the royal 
treasury. 

Jerusalem was sub- 
ject to the Persian 
government until the 
days of Ezra in the 
reign of Artaxerxes. 
In the seventh year 
of the reign of that 
king, 457 B. c, was 
issued the third de- 
cree concerning the 
rebuilding of Jerusa- 
lem. This decree (i) 
permitted all Jews 
who so desired to re- 
turn to J erusalem ; 
(2) it allowed the ta- 
king of a free-will 
o ff e r i n g from a 1 1 
Babylon for the cause 
at Jerusalem ; (3) it 
proclaimed perfect 
freedom to follow the commands of God in 
all the territory west of the Jordan ; (4) it re- 
lieved all Levites and ministers from paying 
toll or tribute; (5) it directed that the walls 



Now this is the copy of the letter 
that the king Artaxerxes gave unto 
Ezra the priest, the scribe, even a 
scribe of the words of the com- 
mandments of the Lord, and of his 
statutes to Israel. ... I make 
a decree, that all they of the people 
of Israel, and of his priests and 




The Jewish Leaders receiving: the Sacred vessels. 



Levites, in my realm, which are 
minded of their own freewill to go 
up to Jerusalem, go with thee. . . . 
And to carry the silver and gold, 
which the king and his counsellors 
have freely offered unto the God of 



10 



146 



STORY; OF ^PANIEL THE PROPHET. 



Israel, whose habitation is in Jeru- 
salem, and all the silver and gold 
that thou canst find in all the prov- 
ince of Babylon, with the £ree*ill 
offering of the people, and of the 
priests, offering willingly for the 
house of their God which is in 
Jerusalem : that thou mayest buy 
speedily with this money bullocks, 
rams, lambs, with their meatoffer- 
ings and their drink offerings, and 
offer them upon the altar of the 
house of your God which is in 
Jerusalem. And whatsoever shall 
seem good to thee, and to thy breth- 
ren, to do with the rest of the silver 
and the gold, that do after the will 
of your God. The vessels also 
that are given thee for the service 
of the house of thy God, those 
deliver thou before the God of Jeru- 
salem. And whatsoever more shall 
be needful for the house of thy 
God, which thou shalthave occasion 
to bestow, bestow it out of the 
king's treasure house. And I, even 
I Artaxerxes the king, do make a 
decree to all the treasurers which 
are beyond the river, that whatso- 
ever Ezra the priest, the scribe of 
the law of the God of heaven, shall 
require of you, it be done speedily. 
. . . Whatsoever is commanded by 
the God of heaven, let it be dili- 
gently done for the house of the 
God of heaven : for why should 
there be wrath against the realm of 
the king and his sons? Also we 
certify you, that touching any of 
the priests and Levites, singers, 
porters, Nethinims, or ministers of 
this house of God, it shall not be 
lawful to impose toll, tribute, or 
custom, upon them. And thou, 
Ezra, after the wisdom of thy God, 
that is in thy hand, set magistrates 
and judges, which may judge all the 
people that are beyond the river, all 
such as know the laws of thy God ; 
and teach ye them that know them 
not. And whosoever will not do 
the law of thy God, and the law of 
the king, let judgment be executed 
speedily upon him, whether it be 
unto death, or to banishment, or to 
confiscation of goods, or to im- 
prisonment. Ezra 7 : 11-26. 



of, Jerusalem be rebuilt; (6) it arranged for 
the appointment of magistrates and judges in 
Palestine from among the Jews , themselves, 
thus organizing a government of the people, 
a thing wholly foreign to the policy of an 
Oriental monarchy. 

This was in the year 457 b. c, and is the 
time from which the period of seventy weeks 
should be reckoned, according to the words of 
Gabriel to Daniel. That it required the three 
decrees to constitute the commandment of Dan. 
9: 25, is evident from the words of Inspiration 
in Ezra 6: 14: "They builded, and finished it, 
. . . according to the cofnmandment of Cyrus^ 
and Darius y and Ai'taxerxes^ king of Persia." 
The three decrees are thus connected. 

The ** troublous times," during which the 
building should be carried forward are described 
by the prophet Nehemiah. Full thirteen long 
weary years after the decree of Artaxerxes 
was issued, Nehemiah, who was a cupbearer 
for the king in Babylon, was mourning over the 
troubles in Jerusalem, and in answer to his peti- 
tion he was permitted to go up to the city in 
behalf of the work. Under the direction of 
Nehemiah the people worked on the wall of 
Jerusalem with weapons fastened to their sides. 
" They which builded on the wall, and they that 
bare burdens, with those that laded, every one 
with one of his hands wrought in the work, 
and with the other hand held a weapon. . . . 
So we labored in the work; and half of them 
held the spears from the rising of the morning 
till the stars appeared." 

Nehemiah in these times of trouble was a 
wonderful leader for Israel. His lessons to the 



n> 




I— < 




—■ 


7;:- 





t— 1 


'^ 




< 




1— ( 




(D 


^ 


p 


ft 





^ 


H 


p 




ft 
p 


> 


w 


•0 


"^3 
ft' 




P 

T. 

ft) 

< 


ft 


x' 

3 


ft> 

X 

fD 

n 

o 


5: 


P 
X 
ft 
•-! 
X 
ft 
X 

3 


v^ 


to 
n' 

P 


ft 


2 


a> 




n; 


fT^ 





iti. 


n 


-7 


ft 


"-< 


<; 

0) 


P 



l-t-, 


ft) 
P 

fD 
< 

2 


3 

p, 

ft 


p 




3 


P 


1—^ 

(— ^ 

1 

to 




ft 

ft 


5- 


n 


to 

-3 


rT 


ft 


1— t 


1— 1 


ft 


p . 
ft 


3 

2 


o 


> 


o 
P 


ft 


ft 

(-1- 




ft 



'T3 


p . 


P 


ft 

p. 


p 


P 

ri- 
ft 


ft 

ft 

n 


ft 
<i 
CD 
-1 

P^ 


ft 
P . 

X 

ft 


2 

(t 


p . 

p 

X 




fj 


n 


3 


:y 


Vf^ 




3 


v<-' 


ft 


P' 


J_, 


o 




p 


!/3 


o« 


ft 






^^ 


2 
P- 

00 


x' 

o' 

o 


o 
2 


o 

i-h 
*^ 

O 


-J 

p 


3 

p 

3 
ft 

3 


P 
►-( 
X 

P* 
ft 


"^ 

ft 

ft 
P 
-( 

X 


ft 

2. 


p 

CO 
l-J- 

0" 

r, 


p 


o 


o 




>-< 

p 


N 
3 


i-(_ 








P 
ft" 




'^ 


CD 




-J 


X 


l-t- 


p' 


X 


cc 


n 

0) 


P 


p 


Ci 


>-< 
ft 


ft 
ft 

X 








o 


? 


rt- 


<-f- 






X 
X 

r; 


s^ 


3' 


t/i 


(-h 




rr 













o 


3 

a. 


ft) 
ft) 


ft) 
p 

2. 

5" 




H 
ft 


ft 


0' 


n 



3 
3 




■-! 

P 


0) 








D. 


ri- 


i-h 


p 


ft 


o 


O 




o 

1-S 




ft 


"^ 
ft 


ft 

>^ 
ft 


x' 


p. 
2 


< 

2 


rt- 


zy 






ft 


ft 


n 


X 


n 






<— 1 




2 






3 

3 

p 


■-^ 


— ■ 


P 

0. 


o 

rr 




ft) 
X 

c 




N 
P 




■-( 

ct 

X 


ft 








^, 








0. 


f-h 


1— '• 


r+- 


fT) 









Ci 




C) 


7: 


^7* 


(T 




l-j 








■-< 


r-^ 




?r 




o 




fD 


t— i 


v-H 


fD 




P . 
•-< 

a> 


H 

CD 




» 


5i 
P 
X 

n 






3? 
ft 

(t 
P 
■-( 


ft 


P 

X 

X 


c 


c 
c 

p. 
x' 


P 


-1 




ft 




ft 

3 




r. 

ft 


ft 
X 

ft 
n 


" — 1 
ft 






^ 




c 




a- 


CD 


p; 


X 

rT 

3 


1-^ 




(J 
p 








fT 


i-ti 


<' 

2 


ft 
P . 


x' 



CO 
O 



4i- 
CD 



4^ 



CO 

CO 



o 
to to 



00 
4^ 



00 
I— »■ 

o 



CO 



Cyrus 
Darius 



Artaxerxes 

CO 

•-< 



^^ 



-4-^ 



-q to 



fe 






4^ vU 
0^ 00 

Oi CO 



10 
-q -4 



to 

4i^ CO 
CO O 
O O 



00 



f/i 



d 

o 



536 B.C. 



-q 

CO 



-q 

7) 



CO 
4^ 



to 



-q 

O 

a> 



4:^ 
CO 

o 

(V 



27 A.D. 

— r^ 

34 A.D. 



00 

O 



4^ CO I-* 

;^ 4^ o 



QTQ 
3 
3 



456 1^ B.C. 
or 457 B. 0. 



to 

CO 

o 
o 

D- 

w 

O 
•t 

V! 

a> 

P 



00 



4^ 



-1844 A.D. 



^ZHE HISTORY OF THE JEWS. 



H7^ 



people on the taking of usury, wages, and rent 
should be followed by Christians to-day. The 
rebuilding of Jerusalem in troublous times is a 
fit symbol of carrying the gospel to all nations 
in the last days. Israel brought this trouble 
upon herself by her sins and lack of faith ; and 
what she should have done by way of warning 
the world in peace and quietude, had to be done 
in great distress. Furthermore, it will be no- 
ticed that a few years of rest always found sin 
and iniquity abounding in Israel. The nation 
was scarcely from under the hands of Babylon 
till the people held their own brethren as slaves 
because of debt. A proclamation of freedom 
must come from within their own borders before 
there could be peace and help from without. 
When it should come from within, God's Word 
pledged the support of even their enemies. 
These principles are true in the body of Chris- 
tians to-day. The spread of the gospel will be 
an easy work, and it will be as the voice of a 
mighty angel enlightening the world, when 
God's people proclaim liberty among themselves. 
" From the going forth of the commandment 
to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Mes- 
siah the Prince shall be seven weeks and three- 
score and two weeks " ( 7 -|- 62 « 69 weeks, or 
483 prophetic days, or literal years). Messiah^ 
in th^ Hebrew, and Christy in the Greek, are 
the same as ** anointed" in English. God 
anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy 
Ghost. This anointing took place at the 
time of His baptism. The sixty-nine weeks, 
or four hundred and eighty-three years, 
reached to the baptism of Christ by John 
in the River Jordan. 



I pray you, let us leave off tljas 
usury. Restore, I pray you,:tO!; 
them, even this day, their lands; , 
their vinejrards, their oliveyards, 
and their houses, also the hundredth 
part of the money, and of the com, 
the wine, and the oil, that ye exact 
of them. Neh. 5 : 1-13. 



• Neh. 5 : 14, 15. . . .» 

Neh. 9 :28. 

Some of our daughters are brought 
unto bondage already : neither is it 
in our power to redeem them ; for 
other men have our lands and 
vineyards. Neh. 5 : 5-8. 

Zech. 9 : 9— 11. 

Haggai 2 : 15-19. 

If the Son therefore shall make 
you free, ye shall be free indeed. 
John 8: 36. 

Ye shall know the truth, and the 
truth shall make you free. 

John 8 : 32. 

After these things I saw another 
angel come down from heaven, 
having great power : and the earth 
was lightened with his glory. 

Rev. 18 : 1. 

Dan. 9 : 25. 

We have found the Messias, 
which is, being interpreted, the 
anointed. John i : 41 [margin]. 



How God anointed Jesus of Naz- 
areth with the Holy Ghost and with 
power : who went about doing 
good, and healing all that were 
oppressed of the devil ; for God 
was with him. Acts 10 : 38. 



Luke 3 :2i, 22. 

Straightway coming up out of the 
water, he saw the heavens opened, 
and the Spirit like a dove descend- 
ing upon him. Mark i : 10. 



148 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



The kingdom is the Lord's : and 
he is the governor among the na- 
tions. Psa. 22 : 28. 



But John forbade him, saying, I 
have need to be baptized of thee, 
and comest thou to me ? And Je- 
sus answering said unto him, Suffer 
it to be so now ; for thus it becom- 
eth us to fulfil all righteousness. 
Matt. 3 : 14, 15. 



It came to pass in those days, 
that there went out a decree from 
Caesar Augustus, that all the world 
should be taxed. (And this taxing 
was first made when Cyrenius was 
governor of Syria.) 

Luke 2:1,2. 



But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, 
though thou be little among the 
thousands of Judah, yet out of thee 
shall he come forth unto me that is 
to be ruler in Israel • whose goings 
forth have been from of old, from 
everlasting. Micah 5:2. 



Mai. 3 : 1. 
Mai. 4-5,6. 



Luke 3 : 1-3, 
Matt. 3*5, 13. 
John 1 : 3 1-34. 
Matt. 3 : 17. 



From the decree of Artaxerxes, four hun- 
dred and fifty-seven years reach into the year 
I A. D., in the present dispensation. But 
twenty-six years remained' of the sixty-nine 
weeks (483 — 45 7 =-26), which terminated 
with the baptism of Christ. Twenty-six years 
added to the year i a. d. bring us to 27 
A. D , in the fall of \yhich year Christ was 
baptized. ( See Mark 1:10, margin ; Luke 
3:21-23, margin). 

For years the Jewish nation had had the 
promise of a Deliverer. The close of the sixty- 
nine weeks found the Jews under the con- 
trol of the fourth kingdom, the dreadful 
and terrible beast which Daniel had be- 
fore described. The desire of every Jew- 
ish woman who was true to her God was 
to be the mother of the Saviour. Whenever 
a babe was presented to the Lord, it was with 
the hope that he might be the accepted One. 
The birthplace of the Messiah had been fore- 
told. Malachi had prophesied concerning John, 
the forerunner of the Saviour, and for six 
months the voice of this witness had been 
heard throughout the land of Israel. The time 
of the preaching of John is established by six 
historical facts. (See Luke 3:1,2). Israel 
and Judah flocked to the banks of the Jor- 
dan, and among them came Jesus of Nazareth. 
John recognized Him by a sign from heaven; 
and as He came out of the water, the heav- 
ens opened, and he saw the heavenly dove 
resting on His head, and heard the voice pro- 
claiming Him the Son of God. 

The sixty-nine weeks had closed. Those who 
were at that time studying the prophecies of 



THE HISTORY OF THE JEWS. 



149 



Daniel were looking for the Messiah, and be- 
lieved the words of John when he said, " Behold 
the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin 
of the world." Christ also said, **Thetimeis 
fulfilled," referring to the period of sixty-nine 
weeks of Daniel. But the nation as a whole 
was blind. " He came unto His own, and His 
own received Him not." They might have 
known. The book of Daniel was for them to 
study. * The same book, together with the book 
of Revelation, proclaims the hour of God's 
judgment, and His second coming, but men will 
be taken unawares because they heed not the 
prophecies. 

As the baptism of Christ was one sign given 
by Gabriel by which the Jews might have known 
.the Messiah, so His death was a second token. 
One week — seven years — remained of the al- 
lotted time for the Jewish nation. During one 
half of that time — three and one-half years — 
the Son of God walked among the people. The 
sick were healed ; he comforted the broken- 
hearted, and preached the gospel to the poor. 
High and low, rich and poor, alike came within 
the circle of His influence. 

** In the midst of the week," said the angel to 
Daniel, " He shall cause the sacrifice and the 
oblation to cease," At the time of the passover 
feast, in the spring of 3 1 A. d., three and one- 
half years after His baptism, Christ was cruci- 
fied by the very people He had tried to save. 
As His life went out, the inner veil of the tem- 
ple was rent from the top to the bottom. The 
mercy seat, seen only by the high priest once 
each year, was laid open to the gaze of the mul- 
titudes. The knife fell from the hand of the 



Again the next day after John 
stood, and two of his disciples: 
and looking upon Jesus as he 
walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb 
of God ! And the two disciples 
heard him speak, and they followed 
Jesus. John i : 35-37. 

Mark i : 15. 
Luke 19:41-45, 



John I : II. 
Matt. 24 : 15. 
Dan. 7 : 9, 10. 
Dan. 8 : 14. 
Rev. I : 7. 
Rev. 14:6-12. 
Luke 21 :35. 



After threescore and two weeks 
shall Messiah be cut off, but not 
for himself : ... in the midst of 
the week he shall cause the sacri- 
fice and the oblation to cease. 

Dan. 9 : 26, 27, 



He hath sent me to heal the 
brokenhearted, to preach deliver- 
ance to the captives, and recover- 
ing of sight to the blind, to set at 
liberty them that are bruised, 

Luke 4 : t8, 19. 



27. And he shall confirm the 
couenant with many for one week : 
and in the midst of the u/eek he 
shall cause the sacrifice and the 
oblation to cease, and for the 
overspreading of abominations he 
shall malie it desolate, even until 
the consummation, and that deter- 
mined shall be poured upon the 
desolate. Dan. 9 : 27. 



1-5(5 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



'■<Bdhold, yoar house is left unto 
you desolate. Matt. 23:38. 

For the law having a shadow of 
g6od things to come, and" not the 
very image of the things. 

Heb. 10 : i. 

Which are a shadow of things to 
come : but the body is of Christ. 
Col. 2 : 17. 

And that repentance and remis- 
sion of sins should be preached in 
his name among all nations, begin- 
ning at Jerusalem. 

Luke 23 : 47. 




^' 



Stonins: of Stephen. 



How shall we escape, if we neg- 
lect so great salvation : which at 
the first began to be spoken by the 
Lord, and was confirmed unto us 
by them that heard him ? 

Heb»2:3. 

The people of the prince that 
shall qome shall destroy the city 
and the sanctuary, . . . and unto 
the end of the war desolations are 
determined. Dan. 9:26. 



priest, and the sacrificial lamb escaped. God 
had withdrawn His presence from the temple. 
The Lamb of God Himself had been slain, and 
sacrifice and oblation were forever done away. 
Those ceremonies which had shadowed forth 
' the death of the Saviour, 

I ceased at the cross. 

: ^ i This was in the midst 

of the last week of the 
prophetic seventy weeks. 
Mercy still lingered 
over the Jewish people ; 
there was yet a little time 
in which to repent. What 
was" not accomplished in 
the person of Christ, God, 
sending His Holy Spirit, sought 
to accomplish through His disciples. 
Humble fishermen imbued with the 
power of God taught the people concern- 
ing a crucified and risen Saviour. In 
one day three thousand accepted the 
message. When many believed, the 
enmity of Satan was again aroused. 
In 34 A. D., Stephen was stoned, 
and as the result of the severe 
persecution which followed, the 
believers were driven from Jerusalem 
and **went everywhere preaching the word." 
Israel had withdrawn from God, and His spirit 
could no longer protect them. In less than 
forty years the city was captured by the army 
of Titus, the temple was burned, and the Jews 
were scattered to the ends of the earth, there 
to remain until the consumation of all things 
at the time determined. 



i 



THE itlStCkY^DP' THE JeWS. 



151 



There can be no question as to the; a:ccuracy 
of the date 457 b. c, as the beginning of the 
seventy weeks, for it is estabUshed by fdiir 
events : the decree of Artaxerxes ; the baptisril 
of Christ; the crucifixion ; and the spread of 
the gospel among the Gentiles. History estab- 
lishes the date 457 b. c. as the seventh year of 
Artaxerxes by more than twenty eclipses. The 
four hundred and ninety years can be reckoned 
backward from the New Testament history, 
or forward from the decree to restore and 
build Jerusalem. 

The angel has given the events during the 
first four hundred and- ninety years of the two 
thousand three hundred days of Dan. 8:14. 
Eighteen hundred and ten years remains, 
2300 — 490==i8io. The four hundred and 
ninety years ended in the year 34 a. d. To 
this add eighteen hundred and ten years, and 
we have the year 1844 a. d. Daniel had been 
shown the events which would mark this year. 
It was the investigative judgment, and the 
giving of the message of the first angel of 
the fourteenth chapter of Revelation. 

This message was given within the memory 
of many who are still living, and is known as 
the advent message. About twenty years be- 
fore the expiration of the prophetic period of 
the two thousand three hundred days, the atten- 
tion of some men were called to the study of 
the prophecies. Foremost among these students 
was William Miller, who became thoroughly con- 
vinced that the prophetic period of Dan. 8:14 
would close in 1844. The expression "unto 
two thousand and three hundred days then shall 
the sanctuary be cleansed," was interpreted to 



Ezra 7:1 1-26. 
Mark i : lo [margin]. 
Acts 8 : 1-4. 



God said, Let there be lights in 
the firmament of the heaven to 
divide the day from the night ; and 
let them be for signs. 

Gen. I : 14. 



Thou shalt bear the iniquity of 
the house of Judah forty days : I 
have appointed thee each day for a 
year. Eze. 4 :6. 

After the number of the days in 
which ye searched the land, even 
forty days, each day for a year, 
shall ye bear your iniquities, even 
forty years. Num. 14:34. 

Dan. 8 : 14. 



Fear God, and give glory to him; 
for the hour of his judgment is 
come : and worship him that made 
heaven, and earth, and the sea, and 
the fountains of waters. 

. Rev. 14 : 6, 7. 



Knowing this first, that no proph- 
ecy of the scripture is of any private 
interpretation. 2 Peter i : 20. 



Thy words were found, and I did 
eat them ; and thy word was unto 
me the joy and rejoicing of mine 
heart. Jer. 15 : 16. 



I saw another mighty angel come 
down from heaven, clothed with a 
cloud : and a rainbow was upon his 
head, and his face was as it were 
the sun, and his feet as pillars of 



152 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



fire : and he had in his hand a little 
book open : and he set his right 
foot upon the sea, and his left foot 
on the earth. Rev. lo : i, 2. 

Rev. 14 : 6, 7. 



I went unto the angel, and said 
unto him, Give me the little book. 
And he said unto me, Take it, and 
eat it up ; and it shall make thy 
belly bitter, but it shall be in thy 
mouth sweet as honey. 

Rev. 10:9. 



Heb. 10 : 32-36. 

The temple of God was opened in 
heaven, and there was seen in his 
temple the ark of his testament. 
Rev. II : 19. 



There are priests that offer gifts 
according to the law : who serve 
unto the example and shadow of 
heavenly things, as Moses was ad- 
monished of God when he was 
about to make the tabernacle : for. 
See, saith he, that thou make all 
things according to the pattern 
showed to thee in the mount. 

Heb. 8:1-5. 



Dan. 7 . 9, ID. 

Behold, I come quickly ; and my 
reward is with me, to give every 
man accorcfmg as his work shall be. 
Rev. 22 ; 12. 

Dan. II : 1-45. 



mean that at the end of that stated period the 
earth would be destroyed by fire at the second 
coming of Christ. Consequently between 1833 
and 1844 the personal coming of the Saviour 
was preached throughout the world. Men were 
warned according to the wording of the first 
angel's message of the fourteenth chapter of 
Revelation, that the judgment was at hand, and 
thousands prepared to meet the Lord. 

When the year 1844 passed, and Christ did 
not appear, many lost faith in the prophecies ; 
but others, knowing that the word of God 
abideth sure, were led to search more diligently 
for the events which did take place at the close 
of the prophetic period. Further study cor- 
roborated the truth of the interpretation of the 
time, and revealed also the light on the sanct- 
uary question. 

For the first time men saw that the ** sanct- 
uary " spoken of in Daniel's vision referred to 
the work in heaven rather than upon earth. 
An investigation of the typical service instituted 
in the wilderness revealed the work of cleansing 
the sanctuary on the day of atonement. It 
was seen that the work of the high priest 
in the earthly tabernacle was but a figure 
of the service upon which Christ, the great 
High Priest, entered in 1844. At that time 
He entered into the presence of the Ancient 
of Days, as seen in the vision of the seventh 
chapter of Daniel, and began the work of the 
investigative judgment in the heavenly sanct- 
uary, at the end of which work He will ap- 
pear in the clouds of heaven. William Miller 
and others who preached the second advent 
in 1844 were mistaken in the event, but not 



THE HISTORY OF THE JEWS. 



153 



in the reckoning of the prophetic time of 
Dan. 8:14. 

The events which took place between 34 a. d. 
and 1844 A. D. are described in the next vision, 
which was given to Daniel, four or five years 
later than the vision of the ninth chapter. 

Since Gabriel explained with such care and 
minuteness the history of the Jews, and- as a 
nation they were without excuse in the rejection 
of the Son God, we may expect that this same 
angel of prophecy will set the waymarks high 
and clear, that men in the last days may know 
the time of Christ's appearing in judgment, and 
of His second coming in the clouds of heaven. 

Let us watch and be ready. 



All men shall fear, and shall de- 
clare the work of God ; for they 
shall wisely consider of his doing. 
Psa. 64 :9. 



And that, knowing the time, that 
now it is high time to awake out of 
sleep ; for now is our salvation 
nearer than when we believed. 
The night is far spent, the day is 
at hand : let us therefore cast off 
the works of darkness, and let us 
put on the armor of light. 

Rom. 13 : II, 12. 




Watch and be ready. 



,???'" 



:-:im^ 



:iCfmMyMn 




CHAPTER XL 



THE SANCTUARY. 



He hath looked down from the 
height of his sanctuary ; from 
heaven did the Lord behold the 
earth. Ps, 102 : 19. 

The Lord is in his holy temple, 
the Lord's throne is in heaven. 

Ps. n :4. 

I beheld till the thrones were 
cast down, and the Ancient of days 
did sit : thousand thousands min- 
istered unto him, and ten thousand 
times ten thousand stood before 
him. Dan. 7:9, 10 R. V. 

The temple of God was opened 
in heaven. Rev. 11 : 19. 

Look that thou make them after 
their pattern, which thou wast 
caused to see in the mount. 

Ex. 25 .40 [margin]. 



Since a misunderstanding of the sanctuary- 
question led to the disappointment in 1844, it 
seems proper to devote one chapter to the con- 
sideration of this all-important subject. 

Three sanctuaries, or temples, are brought to 
view in the Bible. The first is the heavenly 
sanctuary, where God reigns upon His throne, 
surrounded by ten thousand times ten thousands 
of angels. This temple was opened to the won- 
dering, gaze of the lonely seer on the Isle of 
Patmos, and also to Moses on Mount Sinai. 
The second, or earthly, sanctuary was a minia- 
ture model of the heavenly one, in which the 
priests served unto the example and shadow of 



THE SANCTUARYiD^-Tj;^!^'^'^ 



the service in the heavenly temple. For more 
than fourteen hundred years, God designed that 
the service should be in the shadowy sanctuary. 
The time came when those following the 
shadow reached the substance. 

Two days before the crucifixion, Christ slowly 
and regretfully left the temple for the last time. 
The priests and rulers were struck- with terror 
as they heard His mournful words: ** Behold, 
your house is left unto you desolate." . The 
beautiful structure remained until A. d. 70, but 
it had ceased to be the temple of God. The 
Father showed by an unmistakable sign that the 
glory had departed. When the words, *^It is 
finished," were pronounced by the Sufferer upon 
the cross, the veil of the temple was rent from 
the top to the bottom by unseen hands. Terror 
and confusion prevailed. The knife raised to 
slay the sacrifice fell from the nerveless hand of 
the priest, and the lamb escaped. 

Henceforth the sinner need no longer wait 
for a priest to offer his sacrifice. The great 
Sacrifice had been made. Every child of Adam 
could accept His atoning blood. The way into 
the heavenly temple was now made manifest. 
The heavenly had taken the place of the earthly 
sanctuary. Hereafter man's faith was to enter 
within the veil, where Christ officiated. 

The third temple brought to view in the 
Bible is the temple of the human body. The 
Jews had lost sight of the fact that their bodies 
were to be the temples of the Spirit of God; 
and when the Saviour said, " Destroy this tem- 
ple, and in three days I will raise it up," they 
thought Only of the massive structure of mar- 
ble arid stone, and replied that it had taken 



Who serve unto the example and 
shadow of heavenly things, as 
Moses was admonished of God when 
he was about to make the taberna- 
cle : for, See, saith he, that thou 
make all things according to the 
pattern showed to thee in the 
mount. Heb. 8:3-5. 

Heb. 9 : 8, 9, ii, 23, 24. 

Ye know that after two days is 
the feast of the passover, and the 
Son of man is betrayed to be cru- 
cified. Matt. 26 -.2. 



Behold, your house is left unto 
you desolate. Matt, 23 : 38. 



Behold, the veil of the temple 
was rent in twain from the top to 
the bottom. Matt. 27:51. 

For there is one God, and one 
mediator between God and men, 
the man Christ Jesus. 

I Tim. 2 : 5,6. 

The blood of Jesus Christ his 
Son cleanseth us from all sin. 

I John I : 7. 



The way into the holiest of all 
was not yet made manifest, while 
as the first tabernacle was yet 
standing. Heb. 9 : 8, 9. 



Heb. 9 : 24. 
Heb. 6 : 19, 20. 



What? know ye not that your 
body is the temple of the Holy 
Ghost which is in you ? 

I Cor. 6 : 19, 20. 

Jesus answered and said unto 
them, destroy this temple, and in 
three days I will raise it up. Then 
said the Jews, Forty and six years 
was this temple in building, and 
wilt thou rear it up in three days ? 
But he spake of the temple of his 
body. John 2 : 19-21. 



156 



StORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, 
thou that leadest Joseph like a 
flock : thou that dwellest between 
the cherubims, shine forth. 

Ps. 80:1. 



God hath made man upright. 
Eccl. 7 : 29. 

Rom. 6:6-8. 



All that dwell upon the earth 
shall worship him, whose names 
are not written in the book of life 
of the Lamb slain from the founda- 
tion of the world. Rev. 13 : 8. 

I am crucified with Christ : never- 
theless I live : yet not I, but Christ 
liveth in me : and the life which I 
now live in the flesh I live by the 
faith of the Son of God, who loved 
me, and gave himself for me. 

Gal. 2 : 2o. 



I will put enmity between thee 
and the woman, and between thy 
seed and her seed : it shall bruise 
thy head, and thou shalt bruise his 
heel. Gen. 3 : 15. 



To him that overcometh will I 
give to eat of the tree of life, which 
is in the midst of the paradise of 
God. Rev. 2 : 7. 



He showed me a pure river of 
water of life, clear as crystal, pro- 
ceeding out of the throne of God 
and of the Lamb. In the midst of 
the street of it, and on either side 
of the river, was there the tree of 
life, which bare twelve manner of 
fruits, and yielded her fruit every 
month : and the leaves of the tree 
were for the healing of the nations. 
Rev. 22 : 1, 2. 



forty-six years to build the temple, not perceiv- 
ing that ** He spake of the temple of His body." 

Glorious rays of light shine from the heavenly 
sanctuary upon those who study the typical 
work in the earthly sanctuary. These rays, 
when gathered into the temple of the body, 
reflect the character of our great High Priest 
in the heavenly courts. 

In the beginning the body of man was created 
to be a dwelling place for the Holy Spirit ; but 
Satan gained possession, and man partook of an 
evil nature. Before the body can again become 
a temple for the Spirit of God, the evil nature 
must die. Christ offered His life for the sinner ; 
before the foundation of the world He was 
counted as a " Lamb slain." 

That man in his fallen condition might com- 
prehend this gift, and understand the work of 
redemption, the s*inner that longed to crucify 
" the old man," the evil nature, was directed to 
bring an innocent animal, and take its life, as 
an object lesson of the Lamb of God, and also 
to illustrate the fact that the evil nature of the 
sinner must die, in order that the Holy Spirit 
may dwell within. 

Before the gates of the garden of Eden, Adam 
and his family presented their offerings. Their 
clear minds grasped by faith the promise of the 
Redeemer, who would again open to them the 
joys of the garden. Adam by faith looked for- 
ward to the time when the Saviour would lead 
him once more to the Tree of Life, and bid 
him pluck and eat of its life-giving fruit. As 
he took the life of the innocent lamb, and saw 
by faith the "one sinless Man" suffering death 
for him, his heart went out in love and gratitude 




The three temples. 



THE SANCTUARY. 



157 



to God for His wonderful love, and for a time 
he forgot the terrible sorrow that weighed upon 
his soul. Every falling leaf, while it taught the 
death of Christ, was also a constant reminder to 
him that Sin had brought death into the hitherto 
perfect earth. 

While men lived near God, the altars were 
lighted by fire from heaven. But this perfect 
worship was marred. Cain's mind became so 
blinded by sin that he failed to grasp th^ infinite 
sacrifice. Satan convinced him that God was an 
austere judge, demanding service. The love and 
sacrifice of the Saviour was overlooked. Cain 
and Abel each brought an offering to the gate 
of the garden ; but the desires of the two hearts 
were greatly different. Abel brought a lamb, 
and as he took its life, his faith laid hold of the 
Lamb of God. The lamb was laid upon the 
altar, and fire flashed from the shining sword 
of the cherubim guarding the way to the Tree 
of Life, and the sacrifice was consumed. 

Cain brought an offering of fruits. There was 
nothing in his offering that typified the dying 
Lamb of Calvary. No innocent life was taken 
in exchange for his forfeited life. He waited 
for the fire to consume it, but there was noth- 
ing to call forth the fire from the heavenly 
Watcher. There was no sweet love, no longing 
for deliverance from the thralldom of sin and 
death. 

Cain and Able are types of all worshipers 
from that time to the present. The followers 
of Cain multiplied ceremonies, and made 
offerings to the sun and various other ob- 
jects. In it they overlooked the all-important 
principle that self must die, and that Christ 



Eze. 47 : 12. 
Zech. 14 : 8. 



There came a fire out from before 
the Lord, and consumed upon the 
altar the burnt offering and the 
fat : which when all the people 
saw, they shouted, and fell on 
their faces. Lev. 9 : 24. 

Then the fire of the Lord fell, 
and consumed the burnt sacrifice. 
I Kings 18 :38. 

Judges 6 :2i. 

In process .of time it came to 
pass, that Cain brought of the fruit 
of the ground an offering unto the 
Lord. And Abel, he also brought 
of the firstlings of the flock and of 
the fat thereof. And the Lord had 
respect unto Abel and to his offer- 
ing. Gen. 4:3, 4. 

Heb. 11:4. 

He placed at the east of the gar- 
den of Eden cherubims, and a 
flaming sword which turned every 
way, to keep the way of the tree of 
life. Gen. 3 124. 

But unto Cain and to his offering 
he had not respect. And Cain was 
very wroth, and his countenance 
fell. Gen. 4 :5. 



For the life of the flesh is in the 
blood : and I have given it to you 
upon the altar to make an atone- 
ment for your souls : for it is the 
blood that maketh an atonement 
for the soul. Lev. 17 : 11. 



Now all these things happened 
unto them for ensamples : and they 
are written for our admonition, upon 
whom the ends of the world are 
come. I Cor. 10 : 11. 



158 



STORY OF DANIEL THE. PROPHET. 



He removed from thence unto a 
mountain on the east of Bethel, 
and pitched his tent : and there he 
builded an altar unto the Lord. 
Gen. 12 :8. 



Let us arise and go up to Bethel ; 
and I will make there an altar unto 
God. Gen. 35 13. 



Behold a ladder set up on the 
earth, and the top of it reached to 
heaven : and behold the angels of 
God ascending and descending on 
it. And, behold, the Lord stood 
above it. Gen. 28 : 10-13. 

Now Israel loved Joseph more 
than all his children, and he made 
him a coat of many colors. 

Gen. 37:3. 

They took Joseph's coat, and 
killed a kid of the goats, and dipped 
the coat in the blood. 

Gen. 37 :3i. 



How then can I do this great 
wickedness, and sin against God? 
he hearkened not unto her. 

Gen. 39 .'9. 



Let them make me a sanctuary ; 
that I may dwell among them. Ac- 
cording to all that I show thee, 
after the pattern of the tabernacle, 
and the pattern of all the instru- 
ments thereof, even so shall ye 
make it. Ex. 25 ; 8. 9. 



The glory of the Lord abode 
upon mount Sinai, and the cloud 
covered it six days : and the seventh 
day he called unto Moses out of the 
midst of the cloud. And the sight 
of the glory of the Lord was like 
devouring fire on the top of the 
mount in the eyes of the children 



must live in. the temple of the human body. 

Anciently each family erected its own altars. 
The father was priest of the household, and was 
succeeded by the eldest son. At times sin sepa- 
rated the eldest from the family, and character, 
instead of age, decided who should act as priest. 

Jacob Imew the character of the one great 
High Priest ; and as he lay with his head upon 
the stone in Bethel, and watched the angels as- 
cending and descending upon that glorious lad- 
der, he also saw the Lord above it. He beheld 
His glorious vestments, and in imitation of those 
garments he made Joseph a "coat of many 
colors." The other sons of Jacob could not 
comprehend these beautiful truths. Even the 
coat was an object of hatred to them. When 
the brothers sold Joseph, they dipped the coat 
in blood, and its beauty was marred. The fu- 
ture revealed that Jacob had read aright the 
character of Joseph, for in the midst of Egyp- 
tian darkness he reflected the light of heaven. 
He was a temple for the indwelling of the Spirit 
of God. 

When Israel came out of Egypt, their minds 
were so beclouded by sin that they no longer 
saw the promised Saviour in the simple offer- 
ings. God then said : " Let them make me a 
sanctuary, that I may dwell among them." Six 
days were spent by Moses on the mountain side 
in deep searching of heart ; then the thick cloud 
of glory covering Mount Sinai broke forth like 
devouring fire in the eyes of all Israel, and 
Moses was ushered into the presence of Deity. 
Before his wondering gaze was spread out the 
beauties of thfe heavenly sanctuary. Forty days 
the Lord communed with him, giving minute 



THE SApigj^JA2Y. 



IS9 



directions in regard to building a shadow of that 
heavenly structure upon the earth. In the 
midsl; of the idolatry of Egypt, Israel had lost 
the spiritual truth that the body is the dwell- 
ing place for the Holy Spirit. Neither could 
they form any conception of the work done in 
heaven for sinful man. 

To reach man in his fallen condition^ God di- 
rected the building of the earthly tabernacle, 
that humanity might become acquainted with 
the nature of the work in the heavenly sanctu- 
ary. In this building, men divinely appointed 
were to perform in the sight of the people a 
shadow of the work that would be done in the 
heavenly sanctuary by the Saviour of mankind, 
when He should officiate as our High Priest. 

The whole Jewish economy was a compacted 
prophecy of the gospel. Every act of the 
priest in the shadowy service, as he went in 
and out, was a prophecy of the Saviour's work 
when He entered heaven as our High Priest. 
"It was the gospel in figures," the Lord's object 
lesson or kindergarten for the ** children " of 
Israel. They had become children in under- 
standing, and in order to reach them God 
taught the gospel in a way that the senses 
could grasp. 

Man finally became so depraved that he failed 
to see light flashing from the Levitical laws and 
sacrificial offerings, and when the Antitype of 
all their offerings came, they rejected Him. 

Let us in imagination go back to the wilder- 
ness tabernacle, and see if we can. discern . the 
glorious gospel of Christ shining from, the Jew- 
ish economy. A man enters the* outer court 
with a lamb, which tie, brings to the door of the 



of Israel. And Moses went into 
the midst of the cloud, and gat him 
up into the mount : and Moses was 
in the mount forty days and forty 
nights. Ex. 24 : 16-18. 

But the natural matt receiveth 
not the things of the Spirit of God : 
for they are foolishness unto him : 
neither can he know them, be- 
cause they are spiritually discerned. 
I Cor. 2 : 14. 

Which was a figure for the time 
then present, in which were offered 
both gifts and sacrifices. 

Heb. 9 : 9. 

For Aaron's sons thou shalt make 
coats, and thou shalt make for 
them girdles, and bonnets shalt 
thou make for them, for glory and 
for beauty. And thou shalt put 
them upon Aaron thy brother, and 
his sons with him ; and shalt anoint 
them, and consecrate them, and 
sanctify them, that they may minis- 
ter unto me in the priest's office. 
Ex. 28 : 40, 41. 

The scripture, forseeing that God 
would justify the heathen through 
faith, preached before the gospel 
unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall 
all nations be blessed. 

Gal. 3:8. 

Do not think that I will accuse 
you to the Father : there is one 
that accuseth you, even Moses, in 
whom ye trust. For had ye be- 
lieved Moses, ye would have be- 
lieved me : for he wrote of me, 
But if ye believe not his writings, 
how shall ye believe my words ? 
John 5 : 45-47. 

The governor answered and said 
unto them. Whether of the twain 
will ye that I release unto you? 
They said, Barabbas. Pilate saith 
unto them. What shall I do then 
with Jesus which is called Christ ? 
They all say unto him. Let him be 
crucified. Matt. 27 : 21, 22. 

Lev. 4 : 27-35. 

Speak unto the children of Israel. 
When a man or woman shall com- 
mit any sin, ... then they shall 
confess their sin, which they have 
done. Num. 5 :6, 7. 



i6o 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



It came to pass, as she continued 
praying before the Lord, that Eli 
marked her mouth. Now Hannah, 
she spake in her heart : only her 
lips moved, but her voice was not 
heard : therefore Eli thought she 
had been drunken. 

I Sam. I : 12, 13. 

The priest that is anointed shall 
take of the bullock's blood, and 
bring it to the tabernacle of the 
congregation. Lev. 4 : 5. 



After the second veil, the taber- 
nacle which is" called the Holiest 
of all ; which had the golden cen- 
ser, and the ark of the covenant 
overlaid round about with gold, 
wherein was the golden pot that 
had manna, and Aaron's rod that 
budded, and the tables of the cove- 
nant ; and over it the cherubiras of 
glory shadowing the mercy-seat ; of 
which we can not now speak par- 
ticularly. Heb. 9 : 1-6. 

Ex. 29 142, 43. 



Bake twelve cakes ; and thou 
shalt set them in two rows, six on 
a row, upon the pure table before 
the Lord, and thou shalt put pure 
frankincense upon each row. 

Lev. 24:5-7. 

Cause the lamp to burn always. 
Ex. 27 :2o, 21. 

Thou shall overlay the boards 
with gold. Ex. 26 : 29. 

Ex. 26:31, 32. 



Aaron shall bum thereon sweet 
incense every morning : when he 
dresseth the lamps, he shall burn 
incense upon it. And when Aaron 
lighteth the lamps at even, he shall 
bum incense upon it, a perpetual 
incense before the Lord throughout 
your generations. Ex. 30 : 7, 8. 



tabernacle. With solemn awe, and eyes raised 
to heaven, he lays his hand upon its head, while 
his moving lips, like Hannah's of old, betray 
the burden of his heart. Then he lifts the 
knife, and takes the life of the sacrifice. His 
faith lays hold of the bleeding Lamb of Calvar)'-, 
and his sin rolls from off his burdened heart 
on to the great Sacrifice. The blood is carefully 
caught ; every drop is precious, for by faith he 
views the ?r<3r/ sacrifice. The priest meets him, 
takes the blood of the sacrificed life, and passes 
from sight within the first veil, while the wor- 
shiper awaits with anxiety his return. 

In childhood his father had told him of the 
** ark of the covenant overlaid round about with 
gold, wherein was the golden pot that had 
manna, and Aaron's rod that budded, and the 
tables of the covenant ; and over it the cheru- 
bim of glory shadowing the mercy seat;" that 
at times the bright glory of the shekinah above 
the mercy seat shone out and filled the 
sanctuary. 

He had been told of that mystical table, with 
its twelve loaves covered with frankincense ; 
also of the beautiful candlestick, whose seven 
lamps were ever burning; how the golden-plated 
walls on either side reflected the light, and like 
great mirrors reproduced again and again the 
brilliant hues of the richly embroidered curtains 
with their shining angels. Before the second 
veil, which concealed the sacred ark, he pic- 
tured the altar, from which the fragrant incense 
constantly ascended. 

By faith he sees the priest place the blood of 
the atoning sacrifice upon the horns of the 
altar. His faith looks past the shadowy serv- 



THE SANCTUARY, 



i6i 






amort 



^\ 



the 



'^9, 



ti^^Tii-^ ^^-^t^' 






^^^:^^ 



^s 



nt^ 



\ 



>^=^; 



"^'-::^^5 



!k 



\ 



K 



Q^ 



ice to the time when Christ shall plead His 
blood in the heavenly sanctuary. It is the 
gospel of a crucified and risen Saviour that 
he beholds in the object lesson he himself is 
helping to carry out. 

Soon the veil is lifted, and the priest returns. 
The offering has been accepted. The priest has 
made atonement for him, and he is forgiven. 
In the joy and freedom of forgiveness he prays : 
'' O that the influence of all my sins might be 
forever wiped away ! " when lo, he sees the 
priest go to the brazen altar in the court, and 
**pour out all the blood at the bottom of the 
altar." As he sees that blood, precious to him, 
because it represents his own ransomed life as 
well as the sacrificed life of the Saviour, poured 
out upon the ground, his heart bounds with \oy. 



Christ being come an high priest 

of good things to come, by a greater 
and more perfect tabernacle, not 
made with hands, that is to say, not 
of this building : neither by the 
blood of goats and calves, but by 
his own blood he entered in once 
into the holy place, having ob- 
tained eternal redemption for us. 
Heb. 9:11, J[2. 
Heb. 9:9. 

The priest shall make an atone- 
ment for him as concerning his sin, 
and it shall be forgiven him. 

Lev. 4 : 26. 



The priest shall take of the blood 
of the sin offering with his finger, 
and put it upon the horns of the 
altar of burnt offering, and shall 
pour out his blood at the bottom of 
the altar of burnt offering. 

Lev. 4:7, 18,25, so- 



il 



1 62 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



Gen. 3 : 17. 
Lev. 4 : 8-10. 



He shall take away all the fat 
thereof, as the fat is taken away 
from off the sacrifice of the peace 
offerings : and the priest shall burn 
it upon the altar for a sweet savor 
unto the Lord. Lev. 4:31. 



But the wicked shall perish, and 
the enemies of the Lord shall be as 
the fat of lambs : they shall con- 
sume away. Ps. 37 : 20. 

Gal. 1 : 4. 



Now thanks be unto God, which 
always causeth us to triumph in 
Christ, and maketh manifest the 
savor of his knowledge by us in 
every place. For we are unto God 
a sweet savor of Christ in them 
that are saved, and in them that 
perish : to the one we are the savor 
of death unto death ; and to the 
other the savor of life unto life. 
And who is sufficient for these 
things ? 2 Cor. 2 : 14-16. 



Lev. 7 : 30. 
Lev. 4:27-31. 



I can do all things through Christ 
which strengtheneth me. 

Phil. 4 : 13. 



That he would grant you, accord- 
ing to the riches of his glory, to be 
strengthened with might by his 
Spirit in the inner man : that Christ 
may dwell in your hearts by faith ; 
that ye being rooted and grounded 
in love. Eph. 3 : 16, 17. 

John 6 :63. 



He grasps the fact that the decree, " Cursed is 
the ground for thy sake," is met in Christ, and 
that the promised Saviour will finally cleanse the 
earth from all the effects of his sins. 

The body of the lamb still lies near the door 
of the sanctuary, where the life was taken. He 
next turns to it, and with a sharp knife separates 
from the flesh every particle of fat — **all the 
fat that covereth the inwards," etc. " All the 
fat is taken away, and the priest burns it upon 
the altar of burnt offering for a sweet savor 
unto the Lord." The fat is burned as a type 
of the final destruction, when ** the wicked shall 
perish, and the enemies of the Lord shall be as 
the fat of lambs ; they shall consume ; into 
smoke shall they consume away." Ps. 37 : 20. 
Every sinner that clings to sin will be destroyed 
with the sin. God has made provision for every 
one to separate from sin, that He may destroy 
the sin and save the sinner. The burning fat 
upon the altar came up as a sweet savor before 
God, for it represented sin that had been sepa- 
rated from the sinner and destroyed, while the 
sinner lived a new life through Christ. 

The sinner separated the fat from the sacri- 
fice ; the priest received it and burned it, illus- 
trating the truth that we must co-operate with 
the Lord ; and through^ Christ who strengthens 
us we can do all things. 

As the man carefully searched for the fat, he 
realized more fully than before that his body 
was to be a temple of the Holy Spirit, 
and that when his past sin is forgiven 
and he is accepted, it is that he may 
become a dwelling place for the Spirit of 
God. When that spirit enters a man, it, like 



THE SANCTUARY. 



163 



a sharp knife, reveals one sin after another, and 
separates them from the sinner until the soul 
temple is cleansed. His faith grasps the promise 
of the "One" who dwells in the hearts of His 
people by faith. As he goes from the shadowy 
temple court, he realizes that he is a temple, 
not " empty ^ swept, and garnished," ready to be 
again entered by the power of evil, but a temple 
in which the Spirit of God rules and reigns. 

Another man brings an offering ; and as the 
priest takes the blood, instead of entering 
within the veil, he pours it at the base of the 
altar of burnt offering. Then a portion of the 
flesh, which represents sin, is prepared and 
eaten by the priest in the holy place. In this 
act the priest taught the children of Israel the 
wonderful truth that Christ bore our sins in his 
own body on the tree. 

Each separate offering presented some differ- 
ent phase of the work of Christ. The incense 
constantly ascending from the altar was an ob- 
ject lesson of the inexhaustible fund of perfect 
obedience accruing from the sinless life of our 
Saviour, which, added to the prayers of all saints 
as they are offered upon the golden altar in 
heaven, makes them acceptable before God. 
The perfume of the incense filled the air far 
beyond the temple court. Likewise the sweet 
influence of Christians who live a life of faith 
in God, is felt by all who come in contact with 
them. 

The fire was replenished morning and even- 
ing, representing the morning and evening wor- 
ship in the family. **The whole multitude of 
the people were praying without at the time of 
incense." The lamps were a type of the seven 



The word of God is quick, and 
powerful, and sharper than any two- 
edged sword, piercing even to the 
dividing asunder of soul and spirit, 
and of the joints and marrow, and 
is a discerner of the thoughts and 
intents of the heart. Heb. 4 : 12. 

Then he saith, I will return into 
my house from whence I came out : 
and when he is come, he findeth it 
empty, swept, and garnished. 

Matt. 12 : 43-45, 

Wherefore have ye not eaten the 
sin offering in the holy place, see- 
ing it is most holy, and God hath 
given it you to bear the iniquity of 
the congregation, to make atone- 
ment for them before the Lord? 
Behold, the blood of it was not 
brought in within the holy place : 
ye should indeed have eaten it in 
the holy place, as I commanded. 
Lev, 10 : 16-18. 

Lev. 6 : 30. 

I Peter 2 : 24. 

Christ also hath loved us, and 
and hath given himself for us an 
offering, and a sacrifice to God for 
a sweet-smelling savor. 

Eph. 5 : 2. 

Another angel came and stood at 
the altar, having a golden censer ; 
and there was given unto him much 
incense, that he should add it to 
the prayers of all saints upon the 
golden altar which was before the 
throne. Rev. 8 :3, 4 [margin]. 

The house was filled with the 
odor of the ointment. 

John 12 : 3. 

Matt. 26 : 13. 
Ex. 30:7, 8. 
Jer. 10 :25. 



The whole multitude of the peo- 
ple were praying without at the 
time of incense. Luke i : 9, 10. 



i64 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



There were seven lamps of fire 
burning before the throne, which 
are the seven Spirits of God. 

Rev. 4:5. 

Isa. II :2, 3. 
Ex. 35 :3i-35- 
Zech. 4 : 10. 

That was the true Light, which 
lighteth every man that cometh into 
the world. John 1 : g. 

Prov. 4:18. 
Ex. 25 :8-io. 



He wrote on the tables, accord- 
ing to the first writing, the ten 
commandments. And I turned my- 
self and came down from the mount, 
and put the tables in the ark which 
1 had made : and there they be, as 
the Lord commanded me. 

. Deut. 10 : 1-5. 

For as many as have sinned with- 
out law shall also perish without 
law : and as many as have sinned 
in the law shall be judged by the 
law. Rom. 2 : 12, 13. 

Being witnessed by the law and 
the prophets. Rom. 3 :2i. 

Rev. 3 :5. 

Whosoever was not found written 
in the book of life was cast into 
the lake of fire. And fire came 
down from God out of heaven, and 
devoured them. Rev. 20 :g, 15. 

Take up the ashes which the fire 
hath consumed with the burnt of- 
fering on the altar, and he shall put 
them beside the altar. And he 
shall put off his garments, and put 
on other garments, and carry forth 
the ashes without the camp unto a 
clean place. Lev. 6 : 10, 11. 

Without the camp unto a clean 
place, where the ashes are poured 
out. Lev. 4:12. 

Ps. 17 zg, 10. 
Mai. 4 : 1-3. 
Obadiah 1 : 16. 
Prov. II :3i. 

Therefore will I bring forth a 
fire from the midst of thee, it shall 



lamps of fire before the throne of God in heaven, 
which are the seven spirits of God. Tliese **are 
the eyes of the Lord, which run to and fro 
through the whole earth." Seven denotes the 
complete Spirit of God that enlighteneth every 
man that cometh into the world. Its life-giving 
rays lead the Christian to the celestial city. 

The golden table held the "bread of His 
presence," which represented man's dependence 
upon God for both temporal and spiritual help 
and strength. 

The ark was the center of all worship;, it was 
the first article mentioned in describing the sanc- 
tuary. The law hidden in it was the great stand- 
ard of judgment, and a perfect copy of that 
heavenly law before which the character of every 
child of Adam will be tried in the tribunal on 
high. If that law witnesses to a character 
cleansed from sin by the blood of the atoning 
sacrifice, then the name will be confessed before 
the Father and the holy angels. 

The continual burning of that which typified 
sin pointed forward to the time when sin and 
sinners would be consumed in the fire of the last 
day. As the ashes accumulated upon the altar 
of burnt offering, they were carefully collected 
by the side of the altar ; and at a certain time 
the priest laid aside his priestly robes, carried 
the ashes without the court, and deposited them 
in a '* clean place." They were not thrown care- 
lessly to one side, but put in a clean place. 
These ashes represented all that will be left of 
sin and sinners after the fires of the last day. 
" For behold, the day cometh that shall burn as 
an oven ; and all the proud, yea, and all that do 
wickedly, shall be stubble ; and the day that 



THE SANCTUARY. 



165 



Cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of 
hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor 
branch. But to you that fear my name shall the 
Sun of righteousness arise, with healing in His 
wings, and ye shall go forth and grow up as 
calves of the stall. And ye shall tread down 
the wicked, for they shall be ashes under the 
soles of your feet in the da}f that I shall do this, 
saith the Lord of hosts." Mai. 4 : 1-3. In that 
day thfe real ashes of the wicked will be left 
upon a " clean earth." 

As the Jewish father walked to the sanctuary 
with his child, the mind of the child would be 
attracted by the ashes in the clean place. He 
would ask, " Why are those ashes put in a clean 
place, when you throw the ashes from oUr fire 
upon the dunghill .? " The father's answer would 
explain the beauties of the new earth, when it 
shall be made like Eden, and sin and sorrow 
shall be forever removed. With it would come 
the gentle admonition to separate from sin, and 
keep the body temple pure, that in the great 
burning day the sin may be consumed without 
the sinner, and he be among the ransomed of 
the Lord. 

Much of the service and many of the customs 
of ancient Israel were designed to call out ques- 
tions from the children, that the spiritually 
minded parents might instruct them in the 
ways of God. 

After speaking of the peculiar manner in 
which the passover should be eaten, God adds, 
*' Your children shall say unto you. What mean 
ye by this service ? " showing that He intended 
that it should call forth questions from children 
of all ages, and thus the children become ac- 



devour thee, and I will bring thee 
to ashes upon the earth in the sight 
of all them that behold thee. 

Eze. 28 : 18. 



Ye shall teach them your chil- 
dren, speaking of them when thou 
sittest in thine house, and when 
thou walkest by the way, when thou 
liest down, and when thou risest 
up. Deut. II : 19. 



He will make her wilderness like 
Eden, and her desert like the gar- 
den of the Lord ; joy and gladness 
shall be found therein, thanksgiv- 
ing, and the voice of melody. 

Isa. 51 : 3. 



If any man defile the temple of 
God, him shall God destroy : for 
the temple of God is holy, which 
temple ye are. i Cor. 3 : 17. 



When your children shall ask 
their fathers in time to come, say- 
ing, What mean these stones? 
then ye shall let your children 
know, saying, Israel came over this 
Jordan on dry land. 

Joshua 4 : 21, 22. 



It shall come to pass, when your 
children shall say unto you. What 
mean ye by this service? that ye 
shall say, It is the sacrifice of the 
Lord's passover, who passed over 
the houses of the children of Israel 
in Egypt, when he smote the Egyp- 
tians, and delivered our houses. 
And the people bowed the head 
and worshipped. 

Ex. 12 : 26, 27. 



i66 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 




The live bird was let loose in the open field. 



Then shall the priest command 
to take for him that is to be 
cleansed two birds alive and clean, 
and cedar wood, and scarlet, and 
hyssop : and the priest shall com- 
mand that one of the birds be killed 
in an earthen vessel over running 
water : as for the living bird, he 
shall take it, and the cedar wood, 
and the scarlet, and the hyssop, 
and shall dip them and the living 
bird in the blood of the bird that 
was killed over the running water ; 
and he shall sprinkle upon him that 
is to be cleansed from the leprosy 
seven times, and shall pronounce 
him clean, and shall let the living 
bird loose into the open field. 

Lev. 14 :4-7. 



quainted with the saving blood of the great 
Passover Lamb. 

The sight of the pile of stones by the Jordan 
was to arouse inquiries in the minds of the chil- 
dren of future generations, which, if answered 
properly, would acquaint them with the mighty 
power of God. The same was true of the 
whole Jewish service. 

The leper that sought cleansing was to bring 
two birds alive and clean, and cedar wood and 
scarlet and hyssop. The priest commanded that 
one of the birds be- killed in an earthen vessel, 
over running water. The live bird, cedar wood, 
scarlet, and hyssop were all dipped in the blood, 
and the leper was sprinkled with the blood ; 
then the live bird was let loose in the open field. 



THE SANCTUARY. 



167 



It flew through the air, bearing on its feathers 
the blood, which was a type of Christ's blood 
that will purify the air, and remove from it all 
the germs of sin and death. Now death comes 
in at our windows, but the blood of Christ will 
give us a new atmosphere. 

Earth, air, and water are elements which 
compose our planet. All are tainted by sin. 
The earthen dish containing the blood held over 
the running water typified the time when earth, 
air, and water would be freed from the curse of 
sin by the blood of Christ. The cedar wood 
and hyssop represented the two extremes in 
vegetation, from the giant of the forest to the 
hyssop on the wall. They were dipped in the 
blood, thus teaching Israel that Christ's blood 
would free the entire vegetable world from the 
curse, and again clothe the earth in Eden beauty. 

It might seem to man that the curse was so 
deeply marked upon the earth, air, and sea that 
it could never be removed ; but the little piece 
of scarlet wool, dipped in the blood with the live 
bird, the cedar, and the hyssop, was a pledge 
that the blood of Christ would remove the deep- 
est marks from the sin-cursed earth. 

We have the real sacrifice to study as well as 
the shadow. Type met antitype. The blood of 
Christ has been shed ; the price has been paid 
that will restore the purity of the earth, air, and 
sea. The sin-cursed earth received the blood of 
Christ as He prayed in the garden. *'From 
His hands and feet the blood fell drop by drop 
upon the rock drilled for the foot of the cross." 
Thus through the air passed the precious blood. 
From the wound in His side " there flowed two 
copious and distinct streams, one of blood and 



Death is come up into our win- 
dows, and is entered into our pal- 
aces, to cut off the children from 
without, and the young men from 
the streets. Jer, 9 :2i. 



Cursed is the ground for thy 
sake : in sorrow shalt thou eat of 
it all the days of thy life. 

Gen. 3 : 17. 

The earth also is defiled under 
the inhabitants thereof : therefore 
hath the curse devoured the earth. 
Isa. 24 : 5, 6. 

He spake of trees, from the 
cedar tree that is in Lebanon even 
unto the hyssop that springeth out 
of the wall. i Kings 4 : 33. 



Isa. 35 : i, 2. 



There shall be no more curse. 
Rev. 22 : 3. 

Though your sins be as scarlet 
they shall be as white as snow ; 
though they be red like crimson, 
they shall be as wool. 

Isa. I : 18. 

I saw a new heaven and a new 
earth. Rev. 21:1. 



Which he hath purchased with 
his own blood. Acts 20 : 28. 

Until the redemption of the pur- 
chased possession, unto the praise 
of his glory. Eph. i : 14. 

Being in an agony he prayed 
more earnestly : and his sweat was 
as it were great drops of blood 
falling down to the ground. 

Luke 22 : 44. 

One of the soldiers with a spear 
pierced his side, and forthwith 
came there out blood and water. 
John 19:34. 



1 68 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



Now there was set a vessel full 
of vinegar : and they filled a 
sponge with vinegar, and put it 
upon hyssop, and put it to his 
mouth. John 19 : 29. 



The next day John seeth Jesus 
coming unto hiYn, and saith, Be- 
hold the Lamb of God, which tak- 
eth away the sin of the world. 

John I : 29. 

He said unto Jesus, Lord, re- 
member me when thou comsst into 
thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto 
him, Verily I say unto thee, To-day 
shalt thou be with me in paradise. 
Luke 23:39-43. 



Who his own self bare our sins 
in his own body on the tree, that 
we, being dead to sins, should live 
unto righteousness : by whose 
stripes ye were healed. 

I Peter 2 : 24. 



Ought not Christ to have suffered 
these things, and to enter into his 
glory? And beginning at Moses 
and all the prophets, he expounded 
unto them in all the scriptures the 
things concerning himself. 

Luke 24 : 26, 27. 

Behold the Lamb of God, which 
beareth away the sin of the world. 
John I :29 [margin]. 



He said unto them, These are 
the words which I spake unto you, 
while I was yet with you, that all 
things must be fulfilled, which 
were written in the law of Moses, 
and in the prophets, and in the 
psalms, concerning me. 

Luke 24 : 44. 



These are they which came out 
of great tribulation, and have 
washed their robes, and made 
them white in the blood of the 
Lamb. Rev. 7 : 14. 



the Other of water." The blood of Christ was 
brought in contact with the earth, air, and wa- 
ter. The two extremes in vegetation also met 
at Calvary. The cross was made of wood taken 
from the trees of the forest ; " and they filled 
a sponge with vinegar, and put it upon hyssop, 
and put it to His mouth." 

Was there an antitype of the scarlet while His 
blood was trickling from those cruel wounds ? — 
Yes. In Jesus as He hung upon the cross, 
bruised, mocked, and bleeding, the thief beheld 
the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of 
the world. Hope kindled in his soul, and he 
cast himself upon a dying Saviour. With full 
faith that Christ would possess the kingdom, he 
cried, " Lord, remember me, when Thou comest 
into Thy kingdom." In a soft, melodious tone, 
full of love, the answer was quickly given: 
*' Verily I say unto thee to-day, Shalt thou be 
with me in paradise." As these words were 
spoken, the darkness around the cross was 
pierced with living light. The thief felt the 
peace and joy of sins forgiven. Christ was glo- 
rified. While all thought they beheld Him con- 
quered. He was the conqueror. They could not 
rob Him of His power to forgive sins. 

Type has fully met antitype; the price has 
been paid; the blood of the world's Redeemer 
has been poicred upon the ground. It has 
dropped through the air from the cruel cross. 
It has flowed with water from the wound of the 
cruel spear. The extremes of vegetation also 
came in contact with it, and he whose sins were 
as scarlet, experienced the peace of having them 
made white as snow by the precious blood, even 
while it was flowing from the open wounds. 



THE SANCTUARY. 



169 



The various feasts throughout the year typi- 
fied different phases of the gospel. The pass- 
over was a type of Christ in an especial sense. 
Christ is our Passover. The first fruits offered 
the third day after the passover lamb was slain, 
taught the resurrection of Christ. Type met 
antitype, and was fulfilled when Christ, the first 
fruits of them that slept, came forth on the third 
day, and presented Himself before the Father. 

Throughout the varied services of the year, 
everything pointed forward to the Lamb of God, 
while it also taught the lesson of cleansing the 
body, and keeping the temple pure for the 
Spirit of God. 

In the autumn, on the tenth day of the seventh 
month, came the crowning service of the year. 
All other services were a preparation for this. 
Day by day the sins of the people had been 
transferred in type and shadow to the priest and 
the sanctuary, and once each year these were to 
be cleansed, and the sins forever removed. 

Gabriel revealed to Daniel the antitype of the 
time of cleansing the earthly sanctuary, " Unto 
two thousand three hundred days, then shall the 
sanctuary be cleansed." This period of cleans- 
ing, we have found in the study of the ninth 
chapter of Daniel, began in 1844. The cover 
of the ark in the heavenly sanctuary was then 
lifted, and the law of God was seen by the peo- 
ple, not broken, but entire. In the midst of the 
law they traced the words, ** The seventh day is 
the Sabbath of the Lord thy God : in it thou 
shalt not do any work." They awoke to the 
fact that they had been resting upon the first 
day of the week instead of the seventh. As 
they gazed at the law, a halo of light seemed to 



Christ our passover is sacrificed 
for us. I Cor. 5-7. 

These are the feasts of the Lord, 
even holy convocations, which ye 
shall proclaim in their seasons. In 
the fourteenth day of the first 
month at even is the Lord's pass- 
over. And on the fifteenth day of 
the same month is the feast of 
unleavened bread unto the Lord : 
seven days ye must eat unleavened 
bread. In the first day ye shall 
have a holy convocation : ye shall 
do no servile work therein. . , . 
Then ye shall bring a sheaf of the 
first fruits of your harvest imto the 
priest : and he shall wave the sheaf 
before the Lord, to be accepted 
for you: on the morrow after the 
Sabbath the priest shall wave it. 
Lev. 23 :4-ii. 

I Cor. 15 : 4, 20, 23. 

Lev. 23 : 27. 

Who serve unto the example and 
shadow of heavenly things, as 
Moses was admonished of God 
when he was about to make the 
tabernacle : for, See, saith he, that 
thou make all things according to 
the pattern showed to thee in the 
mount. Heb. 8:5. 

He said unto me , Unto two thou- 
sand and three hundred days ; then 
shall the sanctuary be cleansed. 
Dan. 8 ; 14. 



Remember the Sabbath day, to 
keep it holy. Six days shalt thou 
labor, and do all thy work : but the 
seventh day is the Sabbath of the 
Lord thy God : in it thou shalt not 
do any work, thou, nor thy son, 
nor thy daughter, thy manservant, 
nor thy maidservant, nor thy cat- 
tle, nor thy stranger that is within 
thy gates : for in six days the Lord 
made heaven and earth, the sea, 
and all that in them is, and rested 
the seventh day : wherefore the 
Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and 
hallowed it. Ex. 20:8-11. 



I/O 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



If thou turn away thy foot from 
the Sabbath, from doing thy pleas- 
ure on thy holy day ; and call the 
Sabbath a delight, the holy of the 
Lord, honorable ; and shalt honor 
him, not doing thine own ways, 
nor finding thine own pleasure, nor 
speaking thine own words. 

Isa. 58 : 13. 

Ps. 119 :59, 60. 



So speak ye, and so do, as they 
that shall be judged by the law of 
liberty. James 2 : 12. 



Rev. 14 :8-i2. 
Rev. II : I. 



Then shalt thou cause the trum- 
pet of the jubilee to sound on the 
tenth day of the seventh month, in 
the day of atonement shall ye make 
the trumpet sound throughout all 
your land. Lev. 25 : 9. 



This is that which the Lord hath 
said. To-morrow is the rest of the 
holy Sabbath unto the Lord : bake 
that which ye will bake to-day, and 
seethe that ye will seethe. 

Ex. 16:23. 

Ye shall do no manner of work : 
it shall be a statute forever through- 
out your generations in all your 
dwellings. It shall be unto you a 
Sabbath of rest, and ye shall afflict 



encircle the fourth commandment, which for so 
many years had been trampled underfoot. Rev- 
erently they listened to the words, "If thou 
turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, from doing 
thy pleasure on My holy day ; and call the Sab- 
bath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honorable ; 
and shalt honor Him, not doing thine own ways, 
nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking 
thine own words : then shalt thou delight thy- 
self in the Lord." Isa. 58:13, 14. 

They thought on their ways, and made haste, 
and delayed not to keep the commandments. 
The period of the investigative judgment opened 
in 1844, when every character was to be meas- 
ured by the standard of God's law. As the 
work opened in heaven, it was the will of God 
that on earth His people should test their lives 
by the law of God, and come into harmony with 
His holy precepts. The day of atonement was 
the type of the judgment. This was the most 
solemn day of the year to ancient Israel. 

When the sun gilded the western hills of the 
land of Judea, on the ninth day of the seventh 
month, the trumpet was blown throughout Is- 
rael. The solemn warning of the trumpet pro- 
duced a marked effect in every home. All work 
was laid aside, and quiet reigned. It was not 
the ordinary rest of the weekly Sabbath, for no 
evening meal was spread. There was not the 
usual baking and seething customary on the 
preparation for the Sabbath. No food was pre- 
pared, for this was not a feast, but a fast day. 
The father of the household gathered his family 
about him, and read from the Sacred Scroll : 
" Ye shall do no manner of work : it shall be a 
statute forever throughout your generations in 






eTnei-nBertfec Ba%afk ifay 
to tcecp it Botij, Six 
daijs shaft tficu tabcn 
- „., an J Jc all tfii^ wor'1c:But 
Ac jsevent'h <fax| \$ t'fe^ SciB- 
batli c.|^ ifie Cct^cC tfi\j @ccf: in 
it tbcu .flialt not d[c any lucr'lc, 
ttjcu.ncr tfxy s'cix.ncr'fliy^ugBtei:' 
tHy inan-'servant.nor'tfiit mciid- 
> er vanl n or tB y c attle, nor tbi| 
^trunt^ertTiat l^ xvifhin thy 
gate^:Jcr In i^ix Ja-y^ the tor<! 
macfe heaven and earth, the *ea, 
anct atttbat In them 1%, and 
re^l'eci the ^^\ cnth tlai^-. luhere- 
/ore th e Lzrd h'C<2_,^sc<I the 
Sahhath day^aiicthiilloxuetl It. 





THE SANCTUARY. 



171 



all your dwellings. It shall be unto you a sab- 
bath of rest, and ye shall afflict your souls." 
With prayer, fasting, and deep searching of 
heart the day was spent by the Israel of God. 
With solemn awe they repeated, "Whatsoever 
soul shall not be afflicted in that same day, he 
shall be cut off from among His people." 

In the Gentile homes around them were eating 
and drinking and all the busy activities of daily 
life, but quiet reigned in the homes of Israel. 
In the temple court all was activity. The bul- 
lock without blemish was brought, and the high 
priest laid his hands on its head, confessing his 
sins and the sins of his household. Then it was 
slain, and with the blood he made an atonement 
for himself and his household, that he might be 
prepared to perform the solemn service of the 
day. 

When he came out, after presenting the blood 
of the bullock before the Lord, two goats were 
brought, lots were cast, and one was chosen for 
the Lord's goat, while the other, Azazel, the 
scapegoat, represented the evil one. The Lord's 
goat was slain. With its blood and the golden 
censer, the priest entered within the second veil 
of the sanctuary. As he neared the mercy seat 
with the glorious light of the shekinah shining 
above it, he sprinkled " much incense " upon the 
coals in the censer, "that the cloud of the in- 
cense may cover the mercy seat that he die 
not." Then with his back toward the sun rising, 
he sprinkled the atoning blood seven times 
above and before that broken law within the ark. 
He paused in the holy place, and made atone- 
ment for it, and for the tabernacle of the con- 
gregation. The golden altar, that had so often 



your souls : in the ninth day of the 
month at even, from even unto 
even, shall ye celebrate your Sab- 
bath. Lev. 23:31,32. 

Wherefore have we fasted, say 
they, and thou seest not? where- 
fore have we afflicted our soul, and 
thou takest no knowledge ? 

Isa. 58:3. 

Lev. 23 ;29. 

. In that day did the Lord God of 
hosts call to weeping, and to 
mourning, and to baldness, and to 
girding with sackcloth ; and be- 
hold joy and gladness, slaying 
oxen, and killing sheep, eating 
flesh, and drinking wine : let us 
eat and drink ; for to-morrow we 
shall die. And it was revealed in 
mine ears by the Lord of hosts. 
Surely this iniquity shall not be 
purged from you till ye die, saith 
the Lord God of hosts. 

Isa. 22 : 12-14. 

Lev. 16 :ii-i4. / 



Aaron shall cast lots upon the 
two goats : one lot for the Lord, 
and the other lot for the scapegoat. 
Lev. 16:8. 



I will appear in the cloud upon 
the mercy seat. Lev. 16 : 2. 

Lev. 16:2. 

Lev. 16 : 13. * 



He shall take of the blood of the 
bullock, and sprinkle it with his 
finger upon the mercy seat east- 
ward. Lev. 16 : 14. 

Thou shalt see greater abomina- 
tions than these. . . . About five 
and twenty men, with their backs 
toward the temple of the Lord, and 
their faces toward the east ; and 
they worshipped the sun toward the 
east. Eze. 8 : 15, 16. 



172 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



The goat shall bear upon him all 
their iniquities unto a land not in- 
habited : and he shall let go the 
goat in the wilderness. 

Lev. 16 :22. 



The high priest confessing the sins of the people on the bead 
of the scapegoat. 



Aaron shall lay both his hands 
upon the head of the live goat, and 
confess over him all the iniquities 
of the children of Israel, and all 
their transgressions in all their 
sins, putting them upon the head of 
the goat, and shall send him away 
by the hand of a fit man into the 
wilderness. Lev. 16:21. 



during the year witnessed to the sins of Israel 

by the scarlet spots upon its horns, was now 

cleansed from all defilement by the blood of the 

Lord's goat. The people without 

listened attentively to the 

sound of the bells on his 

robes, as he moved about 

within the sanctuary. 

'*When he hath made 
an end of reconciling the 
holy place, and the taber- 
nacle of the congregation, 
and the altar, he shall 
bring the live goat." The 
work of reconciliation 
ended, God and man were 
one . The at - one - ment 
had been made in figure. 
The separating sins had 
been removed. The 
people rejoiced in 
God that He had ac- 
cepted them, and that 
their sins were all 
removed from before 
the Lord. 

As they beheld 
the high priest lay his 
hands on the head of 
the scapegoat, and con- 
fess over him all the iniquities of the children 
of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their 
sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, 
and sending " him away by the hand of a fit man 
into the wilderness," their hearts filled with the 
peace that passeth understanding. They praised 




THE SANCTUARY. 



173 



God for the wonderful gift of His love in giving 
His Son to die for sinful man, delivering him 
from sin and death. It was not until the goat 
was sent away into the barren wilderness that 
this peace filled the hearts of the people, and 
they felt that they were forever free from their 
sins. 

That was the type. What does the antitype 
mean to us ? Since 1 844 the world has been 
living in the great antitypical day of atonement. 
The investigative judgment has been in session 
in heaven. In the type the people were to con- 
trol their appetites, and to hold their own busi- 
ness interests secondary to the worship of God. 
This was shown by the day of atonement in the 
type being a rest and a fast day. 

We are living in the time when our great 
High Priest is cleansing the heavenly sanctuary, 
removing the sin records. We are admonished 
to repent and be converted, that our sins may be 
blotted out " when the times of refreshing shall 
come from the presence of the Lord." When 
the reconciling is completed, and the last case is 
decided in the final judgment of heaven, the 
Saviour will pronounce the decree : " He that is 
unjust, let him be unjust still ; and he which is 
filthy, let him be filthy still ; and he that is right- 
eous, let him be righteous still ; and he that is 
holy, let him be holy still." Every case will be 
decided for eternity. Satan, the great instigator 
of all evil, the antitypical scapegoat, will then 
come in for his part of the service. 

In the type the sins were laid upon the scape- 
goat in the presence of the congregation ; in 
the antitype, the Saviour, in the presence of the 
Father, the angels of God, and all the redeemed 



God commendeth his love toward 
us, in that, while we were yet sin- 
ners, Christ died for us. 

Rom. 5 : 8. 



Unto two thousand and three 
hundred days ; then shall the sanc- 
tuary be cleansed. Dan. 8 : 14. 



Into the second went the high 
priest alone once every year, not 
without blood, which he offered for 
himself, and for the errors of the 
people. Heb. 9:7. 



Lev. 16 : 20. 

He is our peace, who hath made 
both one, and hath broken down 
the middle wall of partition be- 
tween us ; having abolished in his 
flesh the enmity, even the law of 
commandments contained in ordi- 
nances : for to make in himself of 
twain one new man, so making 
peace ; and that he might reconcile 
both unto God in one body by the 
cross, having slain the enmity 
thereby. Eph. 2 : 14-16. 



Repent ye therefore, and be con- 
verted, that your sins may be 
blotted out, when the times of re- 
freshing shall come from the pres- 
ence of the Lord ; and he shall 
send Jesus Christ, which before 
was preached unto you : whom the 
heaven must receive until the times 
of restitution of all things, which 
God hath spoken by the mouth of 
all his holy prophets since the 
world began. Acts 3 : 19-21. 



174 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



1 saw an angel come down from 
heaven, having the key of the 
bottomless pit and a great chain in 
his hand. And he laid hold on the 
dragon, that old serpent, which is 
the Devil, and Satan, and bound 
him a thousand years, and cast him 
into the bottomless pit, and shut 
him up, and set a seal upon him, 
that he should deceive the nations 
no more, till the thousand years 
should be fulfilled : and after that 
he must be loosed a little season. 

Rev. 20 : 1-3. 

Rev. 20 : 10. 

Ye shall tread down the wicked ; 
for they shall be ashes under the 
soles of your feet in the day that I 
shall do this, saith the Lord of 
hosts. Mai. 4:3. 

2 Sam. 22 :43. 

Now shall she be trodden down 
as the mire of the streets. 

Micah 7 : 10. 
Ps. 7 : 16. 

In those days, and in that time, 
saith the Lord, the iniquity of 
Israel shall be sought for, and 
there shall be none ; and the sins 
of Judah, and they shall not be 
found : for I will j)ardon them 
whom I reserve. Jer. 50:20. 

Jer. 31: 34- 

Isa. 65 : 17. 
Nahum i :g. 

He ever liveth to make interces- 
sion for them. Heb. 7 : 25. 

Seeing then that we have a great 
high priest, that is passed into the 
heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let 
us hold fast our profession. 

Heb. 4 : 14-16. 

Lev. 23 : 2q, 30. 

The wages of sin is death ; but 
the gift of God is eternal life 
through Jesus Christ our Lord. 
~ Rom. 6 : 23. 

Take heed to yourselves, lest at 
any| time your hearts be over- 
charged with surfeiting, and drunk- 



host, will lay the sins of the righteous upon the 
head of Satan, and a mighty angel will lead him 
away to the desolate earth, where he will remain 
a thousand years. At the end of the thousand 
years, he will go into the fire which destroys the 
earth. Type will fully meet antitype when all 
the sins of the righteous are burned up with 
Satan, and nothing remains but the ashes in a 
** clean place." It will then be seen that " Satan 
bore not only the weight and punishment of his 
own sins, but also the sins of the redeemed host, 
which had been placed upon him ; and he must 
also suffer for the ruin of souls which he has 
caused." 

The sins of Israel will never again be found. 
The former things will not be remembered 
nor come into mind. Throughout eternity, joy 
and peace will forever reign. The prophet 
says, "He will make an utter end ; affliction 
shall not rise up the second time." 

Type must meet antitype. The great High 
Priest in heaven is now performing His service. 
Are you performing your part } In homes scat- 
tered all over the earth faithful children of God 
wz// carry out the antitype in the way God di- 
rected the Israelites to spend the typical day of 
atonement. 

The priest might have performed his part of 
the service perfectly in the temple ; but unless 
the people in their homes fasted, rested, and 
prayed, the work was of no avail for them. 
Every Israelite who ate and conducted himself 
like the Gentiles around him on the day of atone- 
ment was cut off from among the people of God. 

Is your home a place where the appetite is 
controlled ? Do you hold your business interests 



THE SANCTUARY. 



175 



secondary to the work of God ? Are you heed- 
ing the Saviour's words, **Take heed lest at any 
time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting 
[eating to excess], and drunkenness [partaking 
of improper food], and cares of this Ufe, and so 
that day come upon you unawares ? " There will 
be one hundred and forty-four thousand who 
will heed the warning, and in the fear of God 
will fulfill the antitype. While Christ in heaven 
is faithfully interceding for them, they will pre- 
sent their bodies a living sacrifice, holy, accept- 
able unto God, that God may be glorified. 



enness, and cares of this life, and 
so that day come upon you un- 
awares. Luke 21 .'34. 

They sung as it were a new song 
before the throne, and before the 
four beasts, and the elders : and 
no man could learn that song but 
the hundred and forty and four 
thousand, which were redeemed 
from the earth. These are they 
which follow the Lamb whitherso- 
ever he goeth. These were re- 
deemed from among men, and in 
their mouth was found no guile-: 
for they are without fault before 
the throne of God. 

Rev. 14:3-5- 

Rom. 12 : 1, 2. 





CHAPTER XII. 



INTRODUCTION TO THE LAST VISION. 



CHAPTER 10. 



The righteous shall flourish like 
the palm tree : he shall grow like a 
cedar in Lebanon. Those that be 
planted in the house of the Lord 
shall flourish in the courts of our 
God, They shall still bring forth 
fruit in old age ; they shall be fat 
and flourishing. Ps. 92 ; 12-14. 



Daniel must have been about 
ninety years of age at this time. 



Dan. 6 : 4-22. 



Then this Daniel was preferred 
above the presidents and princes, 
because an excellent spirit was in 
him ; and the king thought to set 
him over the whole realm. 

Dan. 6 :3. 



The last three chapters of the book of Daniel 
are inseparable, for they relate to the last re- 
corded vision of the prophet. The tenth chap- 
ter is preliminary to a detailed history of the 
world, and is valuable because of the important 
spiritual lessons which it contains. Daniel was 
an old man, and nearing the end of a long and 
eventful career, but his last days were full of 
anxiety for his race ; he still carried the bur- 
den of their captivity on his heart. Since the 
events recorded in the ninth chapter, he had 
been in the lions' den, thrust there because of 
the cruel hatred of men in high positions. His 
godly life was a constant rebuke to the corrup- 
tion of men in office, and they sought to destroy 
him, but God put these men to confusion, and 



176 



INTRODUCTION TO THE LAST VISION. 



177 



witnessed to the purity of Daniel's life. The 
prophet had been held in high esteem by Darius 
the Mede, and on his death and the accession of 
Cyrus^ Daniel had remained in the court, a 
counselor of the king. 

• Cyrus, in the first year of his reign, had 
issued an emancipation proclamation to the 
Jews. The Spirit of God had pleaded with the 
heart of the king, and he felt that he was 
brought into power for that purpose. When, 
after every provision had been made for the 
return, but a small fraction of the Jews took ad- 
vantage of it, Cyrus began to doubt the wisdom 
of the decree. It was with the Jews as with 
sinners to-day. Pardon is granted and free- 
dom offered, but they choose to remain in sin 
until they receive the penalty — death. The 
sins of Babylon dazzled the eyes of the Jews 
who beheld them, and the voice of their God 
was but faintly heard. (Comp. Eze. 33 : 30—32.) 

Daniel could not understand the situation. 
The spiritual condition of his own people 
weighed heavily upon him, and the changing 
attitude of the king worried him. He thought 
upon the previous vision, and wondered if it 
could be that his people — the Jews — would 
cling to the sins of Babylon until they were 
overtaken by the persecutions described as be- 
longing to the latter days. He could not under- 
stand the times, although the words spoken by 
Gabriel seemed clear of comprehension. 

Two years after the decree of Cyrus, Daniel 
determined to humble his heart before God by 
prayer and fasting until he should understand 
the matter. He did not practice total absti- 
nence from food, for this fast was not the fast 



The Lord stirred up the spirit of 
Cyrus king of Persia, that he made 
a proclamation throughout all his 
kingdom, and put it also in writing, 
saying, Thus saith Cyrus king of 
Persia, The Lord God of heaven 
hath given me all the kingdoms of 
the earth : and he hath charged me 
to build him an house at Jerusalem, 
which is in Judah. Ezra i : i, 2. 



Let favor be showed to" the 
wicked, yet will he not learn right- 
eousness : in the land of upright- 
ness will he deal unjustly, and will 
not behold the majesty of the Lord. 
Isa. 26 : ID. 



Eze. 23 : 14-16. 
Lam. 4 : 1, 2. 



Thou art greatly beloved : there- 
fore understand the matter, and 
consider the vision. Dan. 9 • 23. 



7. In the third year of Cyrus 
king of Persia a thing was re- 
vealed unto Daniel, whose name 
was called Belteshazzar ; and the 
thing was true, but the time ap- 
pointed was long : and he under- 
stood the thing, and had under- 
standing of the vision. 

2. In those days I Daniel was 
mourning three full weeks. 



12 



178 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



3. I ate no pleasant bread, nei- 
ther came flesh nor wine in my 
mouth, neither did I anoint my- 
self at all, till three whole weeks 
were fulfilled. Dan. TO : 1-3. 

I therefore so run, not as uncer- 
tainly ; so fight I, not as one that 
beateth the air : but I keep under 
my body, and bring it into subjec- 
tion : lest that by any means, when 
I have preached to others, I myself 
should be a castaway. 

I Cor. 9 : 26, 27. 

For which cause we faint not ; 
but though our outward man per- 
ish, yet the inward man is renewed 
day by day. 2 Cor 4 : x6. 

4. And in the four and twentieth 
day of the first month, as I was 
by the side of the great river, 
which is Hiddekel. 

6. Then I lifted up mine eyes, 
and looked, and behold a certain 
man clothed in linen, whose loins 
were girded with fine gold of 
Uphaz : 

6. His body also was like the 
beryl, and his face as the appear- 
ance of lightning, and his eyes as 
lamps of fire, and his arms and 
his feet like in color to polished 
brass, and the voice of his words 
like the voice of a multitude. 

Rev. I : 15-18. 

7. And I Daniel alone saw the 
vision, for the men that were with 
me saw not the vision : but a great 
quaking fell upon them, so that 
they fled to hide themselves. 

8. Therefore I was left alone, 
and saw this great vision, and 
there remained no strength in me : 
for my comeliness was turned in 
me into corruption, and I retained 
no strength. Dan. 10 : 4-8. 

That the trial of your faith, being 
much more precious than of gold 
that perisheth, though it be tried 
with fire, might be found unto 
praise and honor and glory at the 
appearing of Jesus Christ. 

I Peter i :j. 

In him was life ; and the life was 
the light of men. John i : 4. 



of a day. But he withdrew from the king's 
table and partook of the plainest kinds of food, 
spending much time in prayer and study. It 
was his purpose to have his appetite so in sub- 
jection that physical wants would not crowd out 
his desire for spiritual insight. The spiritual 
life of man too often partakes of the earthly 
mold of his body by over-indulgence of appe- 
tite. The soul should control the body, and not 
be burdened by the body. This condition 
Daniel sought to attain. He sought also to 
strengthen the mind by retiring to a quiet spot 
on the banks of the river Tigris. He took with 
him a few men as companions. Doubtless these 
were Jews who also felt a burden for Israel. 
The solitude of the spot, the swiftly flowing 
waters of the river, the lofty trees, and the 
clear sky above, led the prophet's mind out 
after his God. 

For three weeks he thus sought for light and 
truth. Then it was that he looked up and be- 
held the Son of God by his side, the same who 
appeared to John on the Isle of Patmos. The 
brightness which shone round about Michael 
was too great for the eyes of the companions of 
Daniel, and they hastened to hide themselves. 
The countenance of Christ was like lightning, 
and as He gazed upon the prostrate form of Dan- 
iel, the other men fled for their lives. But what 
would have been death to those who harbored 
sin, was life to the one whose character was 
pure. The dross had been consumed before, 
and the light shone upon the prophet as sun- 
light on a mirror. 

So full of life is the Son of God that His 
eyes appeared as lamps of fire, flashing light. 



INTRODUCTION TO THE LAST VISION. 



179 



He it is who says, " I will guide thee with Mine 
eye." Daniel could bear the gaze, but his com- 
panions felt that those eyes burned into their 
very souls, and they hid from His gaze. 

To the ears of Daniel, accustomed by long 
experience to heavenly sounds, the voice of the 
" One Man " was as the voice of the multitude, 
or as the sound of many waters, clear and beau- 
tiful. To human ears, dull of hearing, it is like 
thunder. The Jews, at the time that the Greeks 
came to Christ, had a similar experience to that 
of the companions of Daniel. As Christ sat 
in the temple court, the lightning played about 
His head and the voice which to Him was the 
voice of God, to them sounded like the crash 
of a thunder bolt. 

Daniel was left alone in the presence of the 
Son of God, and as he compared his own condi- 
tion to that of Christ, he seemed to be a lump 
of clay, a broken vessel, uncomely and useless. 
*' My vigor was turned in me into corruption, 
•and I retained no strength." He clung close to 
the cold earth, his face to the ground in a deep 
sleep, helpless in the hands of God. ** What is 
man that Thou art mindful of him, or the son of 
man that Thou visit est him ? " 

Then Gabriel, the angel who had so often 
talked with Daniel, touched him with his hand, 
and lifted his prostrate form. He said, "O 
Daniel, a man greatly beloved, understand the 
words that I speak unto thee, and stand upright ; 
for unto thee am I now sent." There was power 
in the touch of the angel's hand. There was 
power in the touch of the Saviour's hand. 
When on earth, virtue, life, the healing power 
of God, constantly radiated from Him. He 



Ps. 32t8. 

Thine ears shall hear a word 
behind thee, saying, This is the 
way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to 
the right hand, and when ye turn to 
the left. Isa. 30 :2i. 

Blessed is the people that know 
the joyful sound : they shall walk, 
O Lord, in the light of thy counte- 
nance. Ps. 89 : 15. 



Father, glorify thy name. Then 
came there a voice from heaven, 
saying, I have both glorified it, and 
will glorify it again. The people 
therefore, that stood by, and heard 
it, said that it thundered : others 
said, An angel spake to him. 

John 12 : 20-30. 



9. Yet heard I the voice of his 
words : arid when I heard the voice 
of his words, then was I in a deep 
sleep on my face, and my face 
toward the ground. Dan. 10 :9. 



Behold now, I have taken upon 
me to speak unto the Lord, which 
am but dust and ashes. 

Gen. 18 :2j, 

Ps. 8 : 3-5. 



10, And, behold, a hand touched 
me, which set me upon my knees 
and upon the palms of my hands. 

11, And he said unto me, Dan- 
iel, a man greatly beloved, under- 
stand the words that I speak unto 
thee, and stand upright : for unto 
thee am I now sent. And when he 
had spoken this word unto me, I 
stood trembling. 

Dan. 10:10, 11. 

Mark i :3i. 

The whole multitude sought to 
touch him : for there went virtue out 
of him, and healed them all. 

Luke 6 : 19. 



i8o 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



Jesus put forth his hand, and 
touched him, saying, I will ; be 
thou clean. And immediately his 
leprosy was cleansed. 

Matt. 8:2,3. 

I am Gabriel, that stand in the 
presence of God. Luke i : 19. 

These signs shall follow them 
that believe ; In my name shall 
they cast out devils ; they shall 
take up serpents ; and if they drink 
any deadly tiling, it shall not hurt 
them ; they shall lay hands on the 
sick, and they shall recover. 

Mark 16 : 17, 18. 

Ps. 91 :7. 

But is now made manifest by the 
appearing of our Saviour Jesus 
Christ, who hath abolished death, 
and hath brought life and immor- 
tality to light through the gospel. 



2 Tim. 1 : 10. 



John 10 : 10. 



12. Then said he unto me, Fear 
not, Daniel : for from the first day 
that thou didst set thine heart to 
understand, and to chasten thy- 
self before thy God, thy words 
were heard, and I am come for thy 
words. 

13. But the prince of the king- 
dom of Persia withstood me one 
and twenty days : but, to, Michael, 
one of the chief princes, came to 
help me; and I remained there 
with the kings of Persia. 

Dan. 10 : 12, 13. 

Are they not all ministering spir- 
its, sent forth to mirster for them 
who shall be heirs of salvation ? 
Heb. 1 : 14. 

By me kings reign, and princes 
decree justice. By me princes rule, 
and nobles, even all the judges of 
the earth. Prov. 8 : 15, 16. 

Every good gift and every perfect 
gift is from above, and cometh 
down from the Father of lights, 
with whom is no variableness, nei- 
ther shadow of turning. 

James i : 17. 

The effectual fervent prayer of a 
righteous man availeth much. 

James 5 : 16. 



could touch the leper, and a life-current flowed 
from Him to the diseased one. 

So it was with Gabriel's touch. He who stood 
in the presence of God was so filled with life 
that as he laid his hand on man, a thrill of life 
was felt in every nerve. It may be so with be- 
ings to-day. The follower of Christ should 
have the life-current so strong within him that 
sin is rebuked, and disease driven from him. 
" A thousand shall fall at thy side and ten thou- 
sand at thy right hand, but it shall not come 
nigh thee," is the promise. Christ came that 
we might have an abundance of life, the cup 
full to overflowing. We do not half realize our 
privilege. 

It was three full weeks since Daniel had be- 
gun to pray, and Gabriel explained the cause of 
the delay. From the first day of the fast his 
words had been heard, but their answer required 
the co-operation of Cyrus, the Persian king. So 
while Daniel waited, ignorant of the work of 
Heaven in his behalf, and little dreaming of the 
strivings in the heart of the king, Gabriel had 
been at the Persian court pleading with Cyrus. 

One may wonder how Gabriel worked. De- 
tails are not given, but one thing is sure : until 
the moment of a nation's rejection, angels are 
always in the midst of their councils. Men will 
be led to take positions for the truth, not know- 
ing the real reason for their own decisions. The 
Holy Watcher is a constant witness in legisla- 
tive halls to-day, and every just decree is the 
result of an impulse from the throne of God. 
This influence was at work in the heart of Cyrus, 
and so pressing were the petitions offered by 
Daniel that Christ Himself came in person to 



INTRODUCTION TO THE LAST VISION. 



lai 



help Gabriel. To Daniel doubtless it seemed 
that his prayer was unheard, but God was work- 
ing out the answer in a way unknown to the 
prophet. Had he ceased to make intercession 
at the end of one week, or at the end of two 
weeks, the history of an entire people would 
have been changed. The promise is, "Before 
they call I will answer, and while they are yet 
speaking I will hear." God is often testing the 
strength of our desires when He withholds an 
immediate answer to our prayer. 



They that wait upon the Lord 
shall renew their strength : they 
shall mount up with wings as 
eagles ; they shall run and not be 
weary ; and they shall walk, and 
not faint. Isa. 40 :3i. 



Isa. 65 :24. 



For since the beginning of the 
world men have not heard, nor 
perceived by the ear, neither hath 
the eye seen, O God, beside thee, 
what he hath prepared for him that 
waiteth for him, Isa. 64 : 4. 





lacebeuBio 
be gtfong^^C 

J)art.l0:i9 

*' Knowest thou wherefore I am come unto 
thee.?" asked Gabriel. "I am come to make 
thee understand what shall befall thy people in 
the latter days : for yet the vision is for many 
days." Daniel fell to the ground, and the 
breath went from his body. This was his con- 
dition when in vision. He was unable to speak 
until Christ touched his lips. Then He spoke 
to Gabriel, who stood by Daniel's side to 
strengthen him, and to explain to him the his- 
tory of the latter days. 

God has had many prophets. The effect of 
the Spirit upon a human being when in vision is 



14. Now I am come to make 
thee understand what shall befall 
thy people in the latter days : for 
yet the vision is for many days. 

16. And when he had spoken 
such words unto me, I set my face 
toward the ground, and I became 
dumb. Dan. 10 : 14, 15. 

O Lord, open thou my lips ; and 
my mouth shall show forth thy 
praise. Ps. 51 : 15. 

76. And, behold, one like the 
similitude of the sons of men 
touched my lips : then I opened 
my mouth, and spake, and said 
unto him that stood before me, 
my lord, by the vision my sor- 
rows are turned upon me, and I 
have retained no strength. 



I82 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



17. For how can the servant of 
this my lord talk with this my 
lord? for as for me, straightway 
there remained no strength in me, 
neither is there breath left in me. 
Dan. 10:16, 17. 



Num. 24 : 15, 16. 

The heavens were opened, and I 
saw visions of God. Eze. 1:1. 



Rev. 



4:1. 



How that he was caught up into 
paradise. 2 Cor. 12 :4. 



18. Then there came again and 
touched me one like the appear- 
ance of a man, and he strength- 
ened me, 

19. And said, man greatly be- 
loved', fear not: peace be unto 
thee, be strong, yea, be strong. 
And when he had spoken unto me, 
I was strengthened, and said, Let 
my lord speak, for thou hast 
strengthened me. 

20. Then said he, Knowest thou 
wherefore I come unto thee ? and 
now will I return to fight with 
the prince of Persia : and when I 
am gone forth, lo, the prince of 
Grecia shall come. 

21. But I will show thee that 
which is noted in the scripture of 
truth : and there is none that 
holdeth with me in these things, 
but Michael your prince. 

Dan. 10 : 18-21. 



Which things also we speak, not 
in the words which man's wisdom 
teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost 
teacheth; comparing spiritual things 
with spiritual. But the natural 



unexplainable. There is an overpowering pres- 
ence which so pervades the physical being that 
it has no strength to act of itself. The breath 
leaves the body, and the voice of God speaks 
through the human instrument. The eyes re- 
main open, as Balaam described his condition, 
but the person sees things outside the world. 
He is often taken far beyond the bounds of 
earth, as in the case of Ezekiel, John, and Paul. 
" Earth's attraction is broken, and with an angel 
guide the prophet visits other places, or beholds 
the future, reading there the history of men and 
nations. When the living coal from the altar is 
laid upon those lips, they speak words of heav- 
enly wisdom. Isaiah had this experience. 

For the third time Gabriel expressed the love 
of God for Daniel, adding, *' Peace be unto thee; 
be strong, yea, be strong." By word and by 
touch, Gabriel strengthened the gray-haired 
prophet. Then he was ready for the revela- 
tion, and said, ** Let my Lord speak ; for 
thou hast strengthened me.'' 

The things which are noted in the history of 
truth were related by this great revealer. Man 
sees not as God sees, and in his shortsightedness 
he often emphasizes the unimportant, and passes 
lightly over events of universal interest. But 
when history is given in God's Word, it is a 
chronicler of those things ^hich are ** noted in 
the Scripture of truth." This fact is noticeable 
in the history of the Persian kings, which is con- 
tained in the next few verses. In the most ab- 
breviated manner, Gabriel touches the events of 
hundreds of years, but he brings into promi- 
nence things which are noted elsewhere in the 
Word of God, and which can be understood 



INTRODUCTION TO THE LAST VISION. 



183 



only by a careful study of other books of the 
Bible. 

For an understanding of the history of Persia, 
it is necessary to study carefully Ezra, Esther, 
Nehemiah, Haggai, and Zechariah. These books 
carry the history to the time of Persia's greatest 
strength, and through the time when that nation 
worked for God and His people. Then, and not 
till then, is the record silent. 



man receiveth not the things of the 
Spirit of God : for they are fool- 
ishness unto him : neither can he 
know them, because they are spir- 
itually discerned. 

I Cor. 2 : 15, 14. 



Ezra, Nehemiah, Haggai, Zech- 
ariah, and Esther record events 
connected with the return of the 
Jews from the Babylonian cap- 
tivity. 





CHAPTER XIII. 



THE HISTORY OF THE .DECREES. 

, CHAPTER 11 :1, 2. 



In the third year of Cynis king 
of Persia a thing was revealed unto 
Daniel, whose name was called 
Belteshazzar ; and the thing was 
true, but the time appointed was 
long r and he understood the thing, 
and had understanding of the 
vision. Dan. lo : i. 



Dan. 2 : 31-35. 
Dan. 7:1-8. 
Dan. 8 : 1-8. 



Thy word is truth. 



John 17 : 17. 



The Lord is a God of knowledge, 
and by him actions are weighed. 
1 Sam. 2 : 3. 

Ps. 105 : 13, 14. 

184 



The angel began with the history of the Per- 
sian kingdom, for at the time of the vision the 
Babylonian monarchy was entirely gone. It was 
the third year of the sole reign of Cyrus, and 
the fifth year since Darius the Mede had taken 
Babylon. It will be remembered that Daniel 
had seen the various nations, as they rose one 
after another on the stream of time. God is 
the only perfect, authentic historian ; the only 
unbiased record of national events is found in 
the Scriptures. Men record acts, but only God 
can give those acts their proper setting in the 
great drama of life. There is one unbroken 
chain of events, a silken thread in the web of 
life, a perpetual spring in the tide of human 
affairs. This is the record of God's dealings 
with His chosen people. Egyptian history is 
noted in the Inspired Record of the world, but 



HISTORY OF THE DECREES. 



185 



only as it played some part in connection with 
Jehovah's people. Likewise Assyria, Babylon, 
Greece, and Rome ; whatever the nation and 
whatever its place in • time, its history is noted 
by the divine historian only during the time 
when it has been an instrument in God's hand 
to spread His truth or to protect His people. 

It was for such a purpose that the Medo-Per- 
sian kingdom came into existence, and when it 
had fulfilled that work, and the Spirit of God 
was withdrawn, it passed from the stage of 
action. 

The Medo-Persian empire was born when the 
time was ripe for Israel's deliverance from the 
bondage of Babylon. The first king of the 
united empire was Darius the Mede. He was 
a man well advanced in life when he came to 
the throne ; threescore and two years old, the 
record states. But throughout his reign, Gabriel 
stood by him *'to confirm and to strengthen 
him." To Darius was given the opportunity to 
liberate the Jews. The Spirit of God pleaded 
with him, and it brought Daniel into his favor, 
so that he placed the prophet in the third posi- 
tion in the kingdom. Darius knew of God and 
His power, for it was he who spent the sleepless 
night in prayer while Daniel was in the lions' 
den. Darius, however, did no great work for 
the Lord. He reigned but two years, then 
Cyrus took the kingdom. 

From the accession of Cyrus to the end of 
the history of Medo- Persia, Gabriel worked with 
the kings. His first words to Daniel in this last 
vision are to this effect : " I will return to fight 
with the prince of Persia ; and when I am gone 
forth ^ loy the prince of Grecia shall come!' 



O thou daughter, dwelling in 
Egypt, furnish thyself to go into 
captivity : for Noph shall be waste 
and desolate without an inhabitant. 
Egypt is like a very fair heifer, but 
destruction cometh ; it cometh out 
of the north. Jer. 46 : 19, 20. 



Mercy and truth preserve the 
king : and his throne is upholden 
by mercy. Prov. 20 : 28. 

Thou rulest the raging of the 
sea : when the waves thereof arise, 
thou stillest them. Thou hast 
broken Egypt in pieces, as one that 
is slain : thou hast scattered thine 
enemies with thy strong arm. The 
heavens are thine, the earth also is 
thine : as for the world and the 
fullness thereof, thou hast founded 
them. Ps. 89 :9-ii [margin], 

Jer. 10 : 7. 
Dan. g: I, 2. 
B. C. 538. 



Dan. 5 :3o, 31. 

7. Also I in the first year of 
Darius the Mede, euen I, stood to 
conUrm and to strengthen him. 
Dan. 11 :1. 

Dan. 6 : 23. 

So this Daniel prospered in the 
reign of Darius, and in the reign of 
Cyrus the Persian. Dan. 6 : 28. 



Then the king went to his pal- 
ace, and passed the night fasting : 
neither were instruments of music 
brought before him : and his sleep 
went from him. Dan. 6 : 18. 



If God be for us, who can be 
against us ? Rom. 8:31. 



Dan. 10 :2o. 
Dan. 8 : 7. 



1 86 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



There is no king saved by the 
multitude of a host : a mighty man 
is not delivered by much strength. 
Ps. 33 : 16-19. 

Dan. ID : i. 



Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, 
The Lord God of heaven hatli 
given me all the kingdoms of the 
earth : and he hath charged me to 
build him a house at Jerusalem, 
which is in Judah. Who is there 
among you of all his people? his 
God be with him, and let him go 
up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, 
and build the house of the Lord 
God of Israel (he is the God,) 
which is in Jerusalem. 

Ezra 1 : 1-6. 

Isa. 5:3, 4. 

Hear, O heavens, and give ear, 

earth : for the Lord hath spoken, 

1 have nourished and brought up 
children, and they have rebelled 
against me. The ox knoweth his 
owner, and the ass his master's 
crib: but Israel doth not know, 
my people doth not consider. Ah 
sinful nation, a people laden with 
iniquity, a seed of evildoers, chil- 
dren that are corrupters : they have 
forsaken the Lord, they have pro- 
voked the Holy One of Israel unto 
anger, they are gone away back- 
ward. Isa. 1:2-4. 

I drew them with cords of a man, 
with bands of love : and I was to 
them as they that take off the yoke 
on their jaws, and I laid meat unto 
them. Hos, 11 :4-8. 

Because I have called, and ye 
refused ; I have stretched out my 
hand, and no man regarded ; but 
ye have set at nought all my coun- 
sel, and would none of my reproof. 
Prov. I :24, 25. 

For all this his anger is not 
turned away, but his hand is 
stretched out still. Isa. 5 : 25. 

How shall I pardon thee for this? 
thy children have forsaken me, and 
sworn by them that are no gods. 
Jer. 5 : 7. 



When, therefore, the influence of God should 
be withdrawn from the king of Persia, no power 
on earth could help him. This thought was 
made emphatic when the rough goat was seen 
to meet the ram on the banks of the River 
Granicus. Wealth, arms, and influence were 
without avail. 

Of the seven years of the reign of Cyrus, the 
third was already entered at the time of the 
vision. His first recorded act on taking the 
kingdom was to issue the proclamation of free- 
dom to the Jews. Throughout the length and 
breadth of the land the tidings were heralded. 
It did not take over twelve months for the mes- 
sage to reach the most remote corners of the 
empire where the Jews might be found. Every 
inducement which monarch could offer was held 
out to that people. The slow movement on the 
part of a few, and the utter inactivity with the 
great majority, surprised Cyrus beyond measure. 
It is one of the saddest commentaries in the 
whole Bible on the perverseness of the human 
heart, and its desire to cling to sin. 

When it is remembered that Babylon was the 
personification of all vileness ; that inj ustice and 
oppression abounded, and that the decree of 
Cyrus was a call from God to liberty and purity 
of life, the effect of living long even in the sight 
of sin ought to appall one. This is a picture of 
the way the calls of God have been treated over 
and over again. Here is seen the exact coun- 
terpart of what people are doing to-day when 
asked of God to forsake modern Babylon. 

One reason why the Jews were slow about 
withdrawing from ancient Babylon was because 
the children and youth had been neglected dur- 



HISTORY OF THE DECREES. 



187 



ing the seventy years' captivity. Jewish homes 
should have been schools, training these chil- 
dren for the city of Jerusalem. Instead, Jewish 
children attended Babylonian schools, mingled 
with Babylonian society, wore Babylonian ap- 
parel, talked, ate, and acted like the Babylo- 
nians ; and consequently, when the time cafne 
to leave Babylon, they had no desire to leave. 

Had the Hebrew race been true to its privi- 
leges, they might have established schools of 
the prophets, from which light would have radi- 
ated to all parts of the kingdom. This oppor- 
tunity was offered in the first days of the cap- 
tivity, when Nebuchadnezzar was witness to the 
fact that all the Chaldean learning was not 
worth one-tenth what God could teach. Daniel 
and his companions were brought into favor 
because of their knowledge of true educational 
principles ; and had schools been established at 
that time, Chaldean youth would doubtless have 
been educated by the Jews, and in the religion 
of the Jews. God had always intended that 
Israel should be the teachers of the world ; and 
even after sin had led them into slavery. He 
gave them an opportunity to teach their captors 
and their captors' children. Did Israel do so ? 
The end of the seventy years and the response 
to the decree of Cyrus answer. No. They did 
not teach others ; they failed to teach even their 
own children. As a result, thousands perished 
with Babylon. 

Those who did go up to Jerusalem were 
half-hearted in their service, and ready to give 
up before the least opposition. When the foun- 
dation of the temple was laid, the old men wept 
because it did not equal in splendor the temple 



For shame hath devoured the 
labor of our fathers from our youth ; 
their flocks and their herds, their 
sons and their daughters. We lie 
down in our shame, and our confu- 
sion covereth us : for we have 
sinned against the Lord our God, 
we and our fathers, from our youth 
even unto this day, and have not 
obeyed the voice of the Lord our 
God. Jer. 3 :24, 25. 

They that be teachers shall shine 
as the brightness of the firmament ; 
and they that turn many to right- 
eousness as the stars forever and 
ever. Dan. 12:3 [margin]. 




pe^r us, 
'tJuKo can 

Go ye therefore, and teach all 
nations, baptizing them in the name 
of the Father, and of the Son, and 
of the Holy Ghost : teaching them 
to observe all things whatsoever I 
have commanded you : and, lo, I 
am with you alway, even unto the 
end of the world. Amen. 

Matt. 28 : ig, 20. 

John 3:2. 



The rod and reproof give wis- 
dom: but a child left to himself 
bringeth his mother to shame. 

Prov. 29: 15. 



Many of the priests and Levites 
and chief of the fathers, who were 
ancient men, that had seen the first 
house, when the foundation of this 
house was laid before their eyes, 
wept with a loud voice : and many 
shouted aloud for joy : so that the 



i88 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



people could not discern the noise 
of the shout of joy from the noise 
of the weeping of the people : for 
the people shouted with a loud 
shout, and the noise was heard 
afar off . Ezra 3: 12, 13. 

The prince of the kingdom of 
Persia withstood me one and 
twenty days : but, lo, Michael, one 
of the chief princes, came to help 
me : and I remained there with the 
kings of Persia. Dan. 10 : 13. 

Now when the adversaries of 
Judah and Benjamin heard that the 
children of the captivity builded 
the temple unto the Lord God of 
Israel ; then they came to Zerub- 
babel, and to the chief of the 
fathers, and said unto them, Let 
us build with you : for we seek 
your God, as ye do : and we do 
sacrifice unto him since the days 
of Esarhaddon, king of Assur, 
which brought us up hither. But 
Zerubbabel, and Jeshua, and the 
rest of the chief of the fathers of 
Israel, said unto them, Ye have 
nothing to do with us to build an 
house unto our God ; but we our- 
selves together will build unto the 
Lord God of Israel, as King Cyrus 
the king of Persia hath commanded 
us. Then the people of the land 
weakened the hands of the people 
of Judah, and troubled them in 
building, and hired counselors 
against them, to frustrate their pur- 
pose, all the days of Cyrus king of 
Persia, even until the reign of 
Darius king of Persia. And in the 
reign of Ahasuerus, in the begin- 
ning of his reign, wrote they unto 
him an accusation against the in- 
habitants of Judah and Jerusalem, 
Ezra 4 : 1-6. 

Esther 3 : 6, 13-1 s. 

In the days of Artaxerxes wrote 
Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and 
the rest of their companions, unto 
Artaxerxes king of Persia ; and the 
writing of the letter was written in 
the Syrian tongue, and interpreted 
in the Syrian tongue. The letter 
which ye sent unto us hath been 
plainly read before me. And I 
commanded, and search hath been 
made, and it is found that this city 



of Solomon, and there was little influence ex- 
erted to bring others from Babylon. There is 
little wonder that after waiting two full years to 
see results, Cyrus was perplexed and astonished 
at the outcome. What wonder that Daniel had 
to wait three weeks for an answer to his prayer, 
while Gabriel and Michael pleaded with the dis- 
heartened Cyrus ! Cyrus was ready, had the 
Jews done their part, to make Jerusalem the 
glory of the whole earth. As it was, we do not 
find any record of further work by this king. 
He died, the work he might have done but par- 
tially accomplished because of neglect and inac- 
tivity on the part of God's chosen people. 

Satan had witnessed the workings of the 
Spirit of God on the hearts of men at the very 
center of the government he claimed as his own. 
It was due to his influence that the Jews did 
not make a grand entry into Jerusalem. Cyrus 
struggled between two influences, but was re- 
strained by Gabriel from doing any act of vio- 
lence. Cambyses, his son, reigned nearly eight 
years, but most of his time was spent in useless 
and expensive warfare in Egypt and Ethiopia. 
Cambyses is the Ahasuerus of Ezra 4:6. To 
him the Samaritans wrote letters of complaint 
against the Jews at Jerusalem. But Cambyses 
was too busy with his foreign wars to give heed 
to this matter, and hence no action was taken 
either for or against the work at Jerusalem. 
The Jews were still at liberty to leave Babylon, 
but such a time of national quiet was not con- 
ducive to great activity on their part, and they 
remained where they were. The time came 
when they wished with all their hearts that they 
had gone out during those peaceful years. 



HISTORY OF THE DECREES. 



189 



Cambyses was slain while in Egypt ; and be- 
fore the report was circulated throughout the 
Medo-Persian empire, an impostor took the 
throne which belonged to Smerdis, the son of 
Cambyses. The impostor, known in history as 
Pseudo-Smerdis (the false Smerdis), is the Ar- 
taxerxes of Ezra 4:7. He reigned only seven 
months, but that gave him time to consider com- 
plaints from the Samaritans and the tribes 
about Jerusalem, and to issue a commandment 
for the building of Jerusalem to cease until fur- 
ther word should come from the throne. This 
letter of the false Smerdis is found in Ezra 
4: 18—22. This is the only act which the di- 
vine historian mentions in the life of this Per- 
sian monarch. 

Although very little is said about him, God 
knew every move he made. This is seen as we 
follow the history of the decrees. As soon as 
the Jews at Jerusalem heard the reading of the 
letter from the false Smerdis, all work ceased. 
"For," reasoned they, "how can we go on.?" 
After they ceased to build, God raised up two 
prophets, Haggai and Zechariah, and from these 
we gain a knowledge of the condition of affairs 
in Jerusalem. 

The people ceased to build the temple, and 
turned to building houses for themselves. When 
urged to continue the Lord's work, they com- 
plained that money was scarce. They sowed 
seed, but the harvest was less than the amount 
sown ; their trees bore little or no fruit ; there 
was drought, and the cattle died ; men could 
not pay their rent or taxes, and became slaves 
because of debt, and sold their children into 
bondage. Then they complained to God. But 



of old time hath made insurrection 
against kings, and that rebellion 
and sedition have been made 
therein. There have been mighty 
kings also over Jerusalem, which 
have ruled over all countries be- 
yond the river ; and toll, tribute, 
and custom was paid unto them. 
Give ye now commandment to 
cause these men to cease, and that 
this city be not builded, until an- 
other commandment shall be given 
from me. Take heed now that ye 
fail not to do this : why should 
damage grow to the hurt of the 
kings? Now when the copy of 
King Artaxerxes' letter was read 
before Rehum, and Shimshai the 
scribe, and their companions, they 
went up in haste to Jerusalem unto 
the Jews, and made them to cease 
by force and power. Then ceased 
the work of the house of God, 
which is at Jerusalem. So it ceased 
unto the second year of the reign 
of Darius king of Persia. 

Ezra 4:7, 18-34. 

Then the prophets, Haggai the 
prophet, and Zechariah the son of 
Iddo, prophesied unto the Jews that 
were in Judah and Jerusalem in 
the name of the God of Israel, 
even unto them. Ezra 5 : x. 

In the second year of Darius the 
king, in the sixth month, in the first 
day of the month, came the word 
of the Lord by Haggai the prophet 
unto Zerubbabel the son of Sheal- 
tiel, governor of Judah, and to 
Joshua the son of Josedech, the 
high priest, saying. Thus speaketh 
the Lord of hosts, saying. This 
people say, The time is not come, 
the time that the Lord's house 
should be built. Then came the 
word of the Lord by Haggai the 
prophet, saying, Is it time for you, 
O ye, to dwell in your ceiled 
houses, and this house lie waste ? 
Now therefore thus saith the Lord 
of hosts ; consider your ways. Ye 
have sown much, and bring in 
little ; ye eat, but ye have not 
enough ; ye drink, but ye are not 
filled with drink ; ye clothe you, 
but there is none warm ; and he 



IQO 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



that eameth wages eameth wages 
to put into a bag with holes. 

Haggai i : i-6. 
An evil man seeketh only rebel- 
lion : therefore a cruel messenger 
shall be sent against him. 

Prov. 17 : II. 

They sent a letter unto him, 
wherein was written thus : Unto 
Darius the king, all peace. Be it 
known unto the king, that we went 
into the province of Judea, to the 
house of the great God, which is 
builded with great stones, and tim- 
ber is laid in the walls, and this 
work goeth fast on, and prospereth 
in their hands. Then asked we 
those elders, and said unto them 
thus, AVho commanded you to 
build this house, and to make up 
these walls? We asked their names 
also, to certify thee, that we might 
write the names of the men that 
were the chief of them. And thus 
they returned us answer, saying, 
We are the servants of the God of 
heaven and earth, and build the 
house that was builded these many 
years ago, which a great king of 
Israel builded and set up. . . . 
But in the first year of Cyrus the 
king of Babylon the same king Cy- 
rus made a decree to build this 
house of God. ... Now there- 
fore, if it seem good to the king, let 
there be search made in the king's 
treasure house, which is there at 
Babylon, whether it be so, that a 
decree was made of Cyrus the king 
to build this house of God at Jeru- 
salem, and let the king send his 
pleasure to us concerning this 
matter. Ezra 5 : 7-17. 

Then Darius the king made a 
decree, and search was made in 
the house of the rolls, where the 
treasures were laid up in Babylon. 
And there was found at Achmetha, 
in tlie palace that is in the prov- 
ince of the Medes, a roll, and 
therein was a record thus written : 
in the first year of Cyrus the king 
the same Cyrus the king made a 
decree concerning- the house of 
God at Jerusalem, Let the house 
be builded, the place where they 
offered sacrifices, and let the founda- 



all the time God was working for them, and 
they knew it not. 

This is the way He worked : In the city of 
Babylon, six of the chief men of the empire 
suspected that the reigning king was not the 
rightful heir, and they banded themselves to^ 
gether to find out. Forcing their way into the 
presence of Smerdis, they recognized the im- 
postor, and slew him, and Darius, the chief of 
the band, was made king. This is the man in 
history known as Darius Hystaspes, and is Da- 
rius the Persian spoken of in Ezra 4 : 24. 

Gabriel still guarded the throne of the Per- 
sians, and while the weak-hearted Jews left off 
building the temple because of a little opposi- 
tion, God was bringing a man to the throne who 
would carry forward the work of Cyrus. Hag- 
gai and Zechariah gathered the people together 
and urged them to resume the work of building, 
giving the word of the Lord that their poverty 
was the direct result of their own refusal to 
build in the face of difficulties. The Jews took 
up the burden, bat presently Tatnai and others, 
governors of tribes in Palestine, came to Jeru- 
salem and warned the Jews to cease. Haggai, 
Zechariah, Zerrubbabel, and Jeshua quoted the 
decree of Cyrus. Tatnai then wrote to Darius, 
expecting, of course, that he would put an end 
to the work. Darius, however, caused a search 
to be made, and found the decree of Cyrus, with 
all its particulars concerning the building, the 
sacrifices, and the order for money for the same 
from the king's treasury. 

Here is a manifestation of God's goodness 
and mercy. That which in the eyes of men 
looked like defeat was turned into a glorious 



HISTORY OF THE DECREES. 



191 



victory. Darius issued a decree which covered 
all that was contained in the decree of Cyrus, 
and more also. Tatnai and the men who had 
entered complaint were commanded to help for- 
ward the work at Jerusalem by giving their own 
money to bear the expense. 

Watch those men, Tatnai, Shethar-boznai, and 
their companions, who raised such an outcry 
against God's work. When the decree of Da- 
rius was received, the accusers went with great 
speed to the Jewish leaders. Seeming defeat 

was turned into signal 




tions thereof be strongly laid; 
. . . now therefore, Tatnai, gov- 
ernor beyond the river, Shethar- 
boznai, and your companions, the 
Apharsachites, which are beyond 
the river, be ye far from thence : 
let the work of this house of God 
alone ; Jet the governor of the 
Jews" and the elders of the Jews 
build this house of God in his 
place. Moreover I make a decree 
what ye shall do to the elders of 
these Jews for the building of this 
house of God : that of the king's 
goods, even of the tribute beyond 
the river, forthwith expenses be 
given unto these men, that they be 
not hindered. Ezra 6 : 1-12. 

The king's heart is in the hand of 



Y \tt out df tfe mid^t 0/ 
Babylon, and deliver e.Very 
m an. Jii^ ^oul, , 



^1^^ 



victory, because 
God was directing in 
the affairs of men. 
Bitter enemies became 
friends, or at least assistants, when the breath 
of Jehovah confounded their worldly policy. 
Again God especially favored Israel. 

The warnings of Jeremiah were still heard : 
" Flee out of the midst of Babylon, and deliver 
every man his soul : be not cut off in her in- 
iquity. . . . We would have healed Babylon, 
she is not healed : forsake her, and let us go 
every one into his own country. . . . The Lord 
hath brought forth our righteousness: come, 
and let us declare in Zion the work of the 
Lord our God." 

" O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that 
the prophets have spoken." Israel heeded not. 




the Lord, as the rivers 
of water : he tumeth it 
whithersoever he will. 

Prov. 21 : 1. 

Jer. 51 :6, 9, lo. 

Luke 24 125 . 

Then said I, Whither goest thou? 
And he said unto me, To measure 
Jerusalem, to see what is the 
breadth thereof, and what is the 
length thereof. And, behold, the 
angel that talked with me went 
forth, and another angel went out 
to meet him, and said unto him. 
Run, speak to this young man, 
saying, Jerusalem shall be inhab- 
ited as towns without walls for the 
multitude of men and cattle therein : 
for I, saith the Lord, will be unto 
her a wall of fire round about, and 
will be the glory in the midst of 
her. Ho, ho, come forth, and flee 
from the land of the north, saith 
the Lord : for I have spread you 
abroad as the four winds of the 
heaven, saith the Lord. Deliver 
thyst-lf, O Zion, that dwellest with 
the daughter of Babylon. For 



192 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



thus saith the Lord of hosts ; after 
the glory hath he sent me unto the 
nations which spoiled you : for he 
that toucheth you toucheth the 
apple of his eye. Zech. 2 : 2-8. 



Behold, I will shake mine hand 
upon them, and they shall be a 
spoil to their servants : and ye shall 
know that the Lord of hosts hath 
sent me. Sing and rejoice, O 
daughter of Zion : for, lo, I come, 
and I will dwell in the midst of 
thee, saith the Lord, And many 
nations shall be joined to the Lord 
in that day, and shall be my peo- 
ple : and I will dwell in the midst 
of thee, and thou shalt know that 
the Lord of hosts hath sent me 
unto thee. And the Lord shall 
inherit Judah his portion in the 
holy land, and shalt choose Jerusa- 
lem again. Zech. 2 : 9-12. 



Can a«woman forget her sucking 
child, that she should not have 
compassion on the son of her 
womb? yea, they may forget, yet 
will I not forget thee. 

Isa. 49 : 15. 



Beautiful for situation, the joy of 
the whole earth, is mount Zion, on 
the sides of the north, the city of 
the great King. God is known in 
her palaces for a refuge. 

Ps. 48 : 2, 3. 



Zech. 8 tj. 
Zech. 9 : 9. 
Haggai 2:7-9. 
Luke 12 : 28-30. 
Matt. 21 : 12-16. 



For thirty-six years — think of it, over a quar- 
ter of a century — Darius reigned, and Gabriel 
stood at his right hand to keep his heart tender 
toward the chosen people. 

The angels of heaven watched intently to see 
Israel return and build Jerusalem. To the 
prophet Zechariah, in the days of Darius, was 
given a wonderful view of the future history of 
the people of God. Jerusalem was given an 
opportunity in those days to build so as to be- 
come an everlasting city. Said one angel to 
another in the hearing of Zechariah, " Run, 
speak to this young man, saying, Jerusalem 
shall be inhabited as towns without walls, for 
the multitude of men and cattle therein." In- 
stead of walls of stone, such as Jerusalem and 
the cities of the world had hitherto been accus- 
tomed to build, God promised to be a wall of 
fire round about it. " Ho, ho, come forth, and 
flee from the land of the north. . . . Deliver 
thyself, O Zion, that dwellest with the daughter 
of Babylon." 

Abounding love, like the love of a mother for 
^ her firstborn, is heard in the words of Jehovah : 
'* Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion ! for lo, 
/ come. I will dwell in the midst of thee." 
Christ's first and His second coming were both 
promised then, and would doubtless have fol- 
lowed in quick succession had Israel heeded. 

Throughout all the world the glory of the 
Lord should be seen upon Zion, daughter of the 
living God. "I am returned unto Zion, and 
will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and JE- 
RUSALEM SHALL BE CALLED A CITY 
OF TRUTH ! " « Rejoice greatly, O daugh- 
ter of Zion: shout, O daughter of Jerusa- 



HISTORY OF THE DECREES. 



193 



iem : behold, thy King cometh unto thee." 

To those who mourned because the new tem- 
ple seemed less glorious than the former one, 
Christ, looking forward to the time when He 
Himself should enter there with the words of 
life for His people, said, by the prophet Haggai, 
" I will shake all nations, and the Desire of all 
nations shall come : and I will fill this house with 
glory." "The glory of this latter house shall 
be greater than of the former, . . . and in this 
place will I give peace." This He said refer- 
ring to His personal visit in the form of hu- 
manity. 

And again, by the same prophet. He asked 
them to witness to the fact that from the very 
day they began to build, the land yielded abun 
dantly; the silver and the gold flowed in, and 
there was general prosperity. 

By Zechariah the latter rain was promised to 
Jerusalem ; great clouds of His glory should 
overshadow them. In Jerusalem the weak 
should be as David, and David as the angel 
of the Lord. All this He told them by the 
prophet Zechariah. Read the entire prophecy 
for its glorious promises. If we had lived in 
Babylon in the days of Darius, would we have 
hearkened.-* The prophet as he looks still 
farther into the future, sees the Lord com- 
ing and all His saints with Him to crown Jeru- 
salem, the city of our God, the bride of the 
Apocalypse. It should be an eternal city, with 
sin and iniquity blotted from the earth. 

Zechariah saw these things in the days of 
Darius, king of Persia ; and had the Jews come 
out of Babylon, and followed where God would 
have led, such would have been the history of 

13 



Consider now trom this day and 
upward, from the four and twen- 
tieth day of the ninth month, even 
from the day that the foundation of 
the Lord's temple was laid, con- 
sider it. Is the seed yet in the 
barn ? yea, as yet the vine, and the 
fig tree, and the pomegranite, and 
the olive tree, hath not brought 
forth : from this day will I bless 
you. Haggai 2 : 15-19. 



Deut. II : 13, 14. 
Lev. 26 :3-i2. 
James 5 : 8. 
Ps. 72 :6. 
Prov. 16 : 15. 
Zech. 10 : 1. 
Hosea 10 : 12. 
Zech. 12 : 8. 
Deut. 32 : 2. 
Amos 4:7,8. 
Job 2g : 23. 
Isa. 44 : 3-6. 
Joel 2 :23. 



The Lord my God shall come, 
and all the saints with thee. . . . 
And the Lord shall be king over all 
the earth : in that day shall there 
be one Lord, and his name one. 
Zech. 14 : 4-9. 



Then said he unto him, A cer- 
tain man made a great supper, and 
bade many : and sent his servant at 
supper time to say to them that 
were bidden, Come ; for all things 
are now ready. And they all with 
one consent began to make excuse. 



194 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



... So that servant came, and 
showed his lord these things. Then 
the master of the house being angry 
said to his servant, Go out quickly 
into the streets and lanes of the 
city, and bring in hither the poor, 
and the maimed, and the halt, and 
the blind. And the servant said, 
Lord, it is done as thou com- 
manded, and yet there is room. 
And the lord said unto the servant. 
Go out into the highways and 
hedges, and compel them to come 
in, that my house may be filled. 
For I say unto you. That none of 
those men which were bidden shall 
taste of my supper. 

Luke 14 : 16-24, 
He that overcometh shall inherit 
these things ; and I will be his 
God, and he shall be my son. 

Rev. 21 : 7. 

2. And now I will show thee the 
truth. Behold, there shall stand 
up yet three kings In Persia : and 
the fourth shall be far richer than 
they all: and by his strength 
through his riches he shall stir 
up all against the realm of Grecla. 
Dan. 11 : 2. 



He that loveth silver shall not 
be satisfied with silver ; nor he 
that loveth abundance with in- 
crease : this is also vanity. When 
goods increase, they are increased 
that eat them : and what good is 
there to the owners thereof, saving 
the beholding of them with their 
eyes? Eccl. 5 : 10, 11. 



Treasures of wickedness profit 
nothing. Prov. 10 : 2, 



Now it came to pass in the days 
of Ahasuerus, (this is Ahasuerus 
which reigned from India even 
unto Ethiopia, over an hundred 
and seven and twenty provinces). 
Esther 1:1. 



the world. They heeded not His voice, and 
after a lapse of nearly cwenty-five hundred 
years, the people of to-day find themselves heirs 
to exactly the same promises under precisely 
the same conditions. If the church of to-day 
follows the instruction of the prophets, every 
promise of Zechariah shall be theirs. If not, 
the history of the Jews during the reign of the 
king who followed Darius, will be repeated. 

In giving this history to Daniel, these details 
were omitted, and Daniel did not live to see 
them carried out. To him the angel said, speak- 
ing in the third year of the reign of Cyrus, 
" Behold, there shall stand up yet three kings 
in Persia ; and the fourth shall be far richer 
than they all." 

The three kings who followed Cyrus were 
Cambyses, Pseudo-Smerdis, and Darius. These, 
and their part in the history of the Jews, we have 
already considered. The fourth king of Persia 
after Cyrus the Great was noted for his wealth, 
and the great army he raised against the 
Greeks. This king was Xerxes, who came to 
the throne on the death of Darius. Our inter- 
est lies in the record of his dealings with the 
Jews, and to that history one entire book of 
the Bible is devoted. Xerxes is supposed to 
be the Ahasuerus of Esther, and the book of 
Esther is the record of the acts of this king 
with reference to the people of God who were 
still living in the kingdom of Babylon, over 
which Xerxes was sole monarch. 

The Medo-Persian kingdom was at its height 
during the reign of this king. He held in sub- 
jection one hundred and twenty-seven provinces, 
extending from India to Ethiopia. His capital 



HISTORY OF THE DECREES. 



195 



was at Shushan, in the province of Elam. Some 
estimate of the wealth at the disposal of this 
ruler may be gained from the fact that for six 
months the princes, rulers, and governors of all 
the provinces, representing the power of the 
Persian king in all parts of the realm, were en- 
tertained at the royal palace; and that when 
this gathering was over, the palace of Shushan 
was thrown open for a full week, during which 
time all the people were feasted in the gardens. 
There was drinking of wine and reveling. It 
was similar to the time when Belshazzar feasted 
with a thousand of his lords. The furnishings 
of the palace, with its marble walls and floors, 
its rich curtains and draperies of many colors, 
hanging by silver rings to the lofty pillars, told 
of the gratification of pride. The beds and 
couches were of gold and silver, and they drank 
from wine cups of gold. Truly Medo-Persia 
was the daughter of Babylon. 

The story of Vashti is a familiar one. Ahas- 
uerus commanded her to appear before his half- 
drunken company, and she refused. Then she 
was set aside, and a Jewish maiden, her nation- 
ality being unknown, became queen of the Per- 
sian kingdom. This was Hadassah, known as 
Esther, an orphan of the house of Saul, whose 
parents had been among the royal captives in 
the days of Nebuchadnezzar. She had lived 
always with a cousin by the name of Mordecai, 
who treated her as his own daughter. Little 
did Mordecai and his wife think, when they took 
the helpless infant Hadassah, that she would 
one day stand for her people in the presence of 
the king. She was an obedient child, and con- 
sequently became an obedient woman. She 



That in those days, when the 
king Ahasuerus sat on the throne 
of his kingdom, which was in Shu- 
shan the palace. Esther i : 2. 

In the third year of his reign, 
he made a feast unto all his princes 
and his servants ; the power of 
Persia and Media, the nobles and 
princes of the provinces, being be- 
fore him : when he showed the 
riches of his glorious kingdom and 
the honor of his excellent majesty 
many days, even an hundred and 
fourscore days. Esther 1:3,4. 

When these days were expired, 
the king made a feast unto all the 
people that were present in Shu- 
shan the palace, both unto great 
and small, seven days, in the court 
of the garden of the king's palace. 

Esther i : 5. 
Dan. 5:1,2. 

Where were white, green, and 
blue, hangings, fastened with cords 
of fine linen and purple to silver 
rings and pillars of marble : the 
beds were of gold and silver, upon 
a pavement of red, and blue, and 
white, and black marble. 

Esther i : 6. 

They gave them drink in vessels 
of gold, [the vessels being diverse 
one from another,) and royal wine 
in abundance, according to the state 
of the king. Esther i : 7. 

Esther i :9-22. 

Where the word of the king is, 

there is power : and who may say 
unto him, What doest thou ? 

Eccl. 8 : 4. 

The king loved Esther above all 
the women, and she obtained grace 
and favor in his sight more than all 
the virgins ; so that he set the royal 
crown upon her head, and made 
her queen instead of Vashti. 

Esther 2 : 17. 

Esther had not showed her peo- 
ple nor her kindred : for Mordecai 
had charged her that she should 
not show it. Esther 2 : 10. 

Now in Shushan the palace there 
was a certain Jew, whose name was 
Mordecai, the son of Jair, the son 
of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Ben- 
jamite. Esther 2: 5, 



196 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



Esther did the commandment of 
Mordecai, like as when she was 
brought up with him. 

Esther 2 :2o. 

She required nothing but what 
Hegai the king's chamberlain, the 
keeper of the women, appointed. 
And Esther obtained favor in the 
sight of all them that looked upon 
her. Esther 2: 15. 

In those days, while Mordecai 
sat in the king's gate, two of the 
king's chamberlains, Bigthan and 
Teresh, of those which kept the 
door, were wroth, and sought to 
lay hand on the king Ahasuerus. 
And the thing was known to Mor- 
decai, who told it unto Esther the 
queen ; and Esther certified the 
king thereof in Mordecai's name. 
And when inquisition was made of 
the matter, it was found out ; there- 
fore they were both hanged on a 
tree : and it was written in the 
book of the chronicles before the 
king. Esther 2 : 21-23. 

All the king's servants, that were 
in the king's gate, bowed, and rev- 
erenced Haman : for the king had 
so commanded concerning him. 
But Mordecai bowed not, nor did 
him reverence. Esther 3 : 2. 

They refused to hearken, and 
pulled away the shoulder, and 
stopped their ears, that they should 
not hear. Zech. 7:11. 

Acts 7 : 23-30. 

Forty years long was I grieved 
with this generation, and said. It 
is a people that do err in their 
heart, and they have not known 
my ways. Ps. 95 : 10: 

Heb. 3 : 17. 

(There are eleven days' journey 
from Horeb by the way of Mount 
Seir unto Kadesh-barnea.) 

Deut. I : 2. 

When he had fasted forty days 
and forty nights, he was afterward 
an hungered. And when the temp- 
ter came to him. Matt. 4:1-11. 

Haman said unto King Ahasue- 
rus, There is a certain people scat- 
tered abroad and dispersed among 
the people in all the provinces of 



was simple-hearted and unassuming, requiring 
little* and demanding nothing. She loved her 
own people, although to be true to them meant 
that she must look death in the face. 

Daniel was no longer living, and there were 
few if any to represent the worship of the true 
God in the court of the godless king. Mor- 
decai sat at the king's gate, it is true, and in 
time of a conspiracy he reported the matter to 
the king; but there were few occasions when 
he could mingle with those in authority. Wick- 
edness and injustice abounded, and Mordecai 
refused to countenance such principles, and 
would not bow before the haughty Haman, one 
of the king's counselors. This was pretext 
enough for the enemies of the Jews to work 
upon, for they were now a hated race through- 
out the emxpire. They had failed to take ad- 
vantage of the time of national favor, and Per- 
sia had turned against them. 

For about forty years mercy had been ex- 
tended to Israel, and that people had turned a 
deaf ear to all entreaty. Forty years has often 
been called the allotted time for a generation to 
settle its destiny either for or against the truth. 
Moses was forty years in the wilderness, un- 
learning the things of Egypt,, and being taught 
in the things of God ; Israel wandered forty 
years in the wilderness, when only eleven days 
were necessary to make the journey from the 
Red Sea to the border of Canaan ; forty days 
Christ endured severe temptation; forty years 
sealed the fate of the Reformation in Germany ; 
and it was forty years from the preaching of the 
sealing message until the time of the loud cry. 

So Israel was given forty years in Babylon 



HISTORY OF THE DECREE:: 



197 



while angels held the winds of strife. At the 
end of that time Xerxes yielded to the sugges- 
tion of Haman, and issued a decree against that 
" certain people scattered abroad and dispersed 
among the people in all the provinces." If en- 
treaty would no longer attract the attention of 
the Jews, God would in His mercy let perse- 
cution come, that they might be compelled 
to flee to His side for protection. But when 
persecution and hardship are ap- 
proaching, the love of God is so 
great that He prepares the deliv- 
erer beforehand. 

The angel of God had guarded 
Hadassah, and directed in her 
education. He had brought her 



thy kingdom ; and their laws are 
diverse from all people ; neither 
keep they the king's laws : there- 
fore it is not for the king's profit 
to suffer them. If it please the 
king, let it be written that they may 
be destroyed. . . . And the king 
took his ring from his hand, and 
gave it unto Haman the son of 
Hammadatha the Agagite, the 
Jews' enemy. . . . Every people 
of every province according to the 
writing thereof, and to every peo- 
ple after their language ; in the 




Mordecai bowed not. nor did him reverence. ' 



198 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



name of King Ahasuerus was it 
written and sealed with the king's 
ring. . . . 1 hen were the king's 
scribes called on the thirteenth day 
of the first month, and there was 
written according to all that Ha- 
inan had commanded. 

Esther 3 :8-i2. 

Tliat our sons may be as plants 
grown up in their youth : that our 
daughters may be as corner stones, 
polished after the similitude of a 
palace. Ps. 144 : 12. 

The letters were sent by posts 
into all the kings 's provinces, to 
destroy, to kill, and to cause to 
perish, all Jews, both young and 
old, little children and women, in 
one day, even upon the thirteenth 
day of the twelfth month. , . . 
The copy of the writing for a com- 
mandment to be given in every 
province was published unto all 
people, that they should be ready 
against that day. The posts went 
out, being hastened by the king's 
commandment, and the decree was 
given in Shushan the palace. And 
the king and Haman sat down to 
drink ; but the city Shushan was 
perplexed. Esther 3 : 13-15. 

Mordecai rent his clothes, and 
put on sackcloth with ashes, and 
went out into the midst of the city, 
and cried with a loud and a bitter 
cry ; , . . and in every province, 
whithersoever the king's command- 
ment and his decree came, there 
was great mourning. 

Esther 4 : 1-3, 

Esther 4 : 1-17. 

Also he gave him the copy of the 
writing of the decree that was 
given at Shuslian to destroy them, 
to show it unto Esther, and to de- 
clare it unto her, and to charge her 
that she should go in unto the king, 
to make supplication unto him, and 
to make request before him for her 
people. Esther 4 : 8. 

Then Esther bade them return 
Mordocai this answer. Go gaiher 
together all the Jews that are pres- 
ent in Shushan, and fast ye for me, 
, nd neither eat nor drink three 



to the kingdom "for such a time as this.'* 
When there was no man to represent His 
cause, Jehovah used a woman, and she, a young 
woman. Her very beauty was consecrated to 
the Lord, and He made use of that. God loves 
the young people, as the. history of the Jews 
certifies. 

Messengers were sent by post to carry the 
king's decree to every province in the vast em- 
pire. It was sealed with the king's signet, and 
the laws of the Medes and Persians were un- 
changeable. On a set day, every Jew in the 
kingdom was to be put to death by the sword ; 
old, young, men, women, and little children — 
none were exempted. Satan triumphed in the 
thought that at last Israel was in his hand, and 
the cause of God should fall. **The king and 
Haman," two of Satan's servants, "sat down to 
drink." 

The city of Shushan first heard the decree, 
and consternation filled the hearts of the Jews. 
There was distress in every home. " The city 
of Shushan was perplexed." Scarcely one year 
from the date of the decree, and death would be 
their lot. There was seemingly no way of es- 
cape. Years before they might have gone up 
to Jerusalem, but now it was forever too late. 
A bitter wail of agony reached heaven, and as 
those messengers of the king sped on, the cry 
grew louder. The voices of the Jews at Shu- 
shan were strengthened by sounds of mourning 
from thousands of Jews in all the provinces. 

Esther, in the king's palace, was ignorant 
of the decree, but Mordecai made known to her 
the universal distress, and sent her a copy of 
the king's command. The crucial moment had 




"X 




The proclamation of Hainan's decree. 



HISTORY OF THE DECREES. 



199 



come to her. Should she, could she, be true to 
her God.? The Hebrews of Shushan put on 
sackcloth, and for three days fasted for the 
queen. Then she came forth in the strength 
of her God. Queenly, beautiful, trusting, she 
stood in the inner court over against the king's 
house, awaiting the recognition of the monarch 
of earth, to cross whose will meant death. On 
one hand she saw death at the hand of Xerxes ; 
on the other, the approval of her God. **If I 
perish, I perish," she said, and God accepted 
her sacrifice. 

God had prepared from afar for her deliver- 
ance. The very act of kindness done years be- 
fore by Mordecai wrought in the deliverance of 
his . people. Who says there is no record kept 
of man's acts, or that man performs any deed 
of kindness unprompted by heavenly beings .? 
God used Esther to save His people; He also 
used Mordecai. 

Haman, the one who proposed the decree, 
was hung on a gallows built for Mordecai ; 
Mordecai was promoted to the position of chief 
counselor of Xerxes ; and a decree was issued 
that on the day appointed for the slaughter of the 
Jews, every Jew should bear arms and defend 
. himself against the Persians. And the fear of 
the Jews fell upon all the people. Again God 
defeated the schemes, not of men only, but of 
the arch-enemy. Truth triumphed in spite of 
the waywardness of His people. This decree of 
Ahasuerus, or Xerxes, is the counterpart of the 
decree which will soon be issued by the beast 
of the thirteenth chapter of Revelation against 
the followers of God. It will find a people situ- 
ated as were the Jews in Babylon ; it will find 



days, night or day : I also and my 
maidens will fast likewise ; and so 
will I go in unto the king, which is 
not according to the law : and if I 
perish, I perish. 

Esther 4 : 15, 16. 

Now it came to pass on the third 
day, that Esther put on her royal 
apparel, and stood in the inner 
court of the king's house, over 
against the king's house : and the 
king sat upon his royal throne in 
the royal house, over against the 
gate of the house. Esther 5 : i. 

In those days, while Mordecai 
sat in the king's gate, two of the 
king's chamberlains, Bigthan and 
Teresh, of those which kept the 
door, were wroth and sought to lay 
hand on the king Ahasuerus. And 
the thing was known to Mordecai, 
who told it unto Esther the queen ; 
and Esther certified the king 
thereof in Mordecai's name. 

Esther 2 : 21-25, 

So they hanged Haman on the 
gallows that he had prepared for 
Mordecai. Then was the king's 
wrath pacified. Esther 7 : 10. 

Wherein the king granted the 
Jews which were in every city to 
gather themselves together, and to 
stand for their life, to destroy, to 
slay, and to cause to perish, all the 
power of the people and province 
that would assault them, both little 
ones and women, and to take the 
spoil of them for a prey, upon one 
day in all the provinces of king 
Ahasuerus, namely, upon the thir- 
teenth day of the twelfth month, 
which is the month Adar. The 
copy of the writing for a command-, 
ment to be given in every province 
was published unto all people, 
and that the Jews should be ready 
against that day to avenge them- 
selves on their enemies. So the 
posts that rode upon mules and 
camels went out, being hastened 
and pressed on by the king's com- 
mandment. And the decree was 
given at Shushan the palace. 

Esther 8 : 1 1-14. 



200 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



DARWS Zyr, 

CYRUS 

7 yrs 


■ 


CQ 

5 
U 
V} 

lU 
X 
h 

< 

N 
W 

11. 


x: 



o 






















CAMBYSES 

7/i yrs 




























2nd Decree 

DARlUvS 
HYSTASPE5 

^6 yearns 












- 


1 

< I 




















































































































XERXEa 

21 years 














UJ 
X. 

h 

ID 


= 


















' 


N 


















3rd. Decree 

ARTAXERXES 




































































41 years 








X 

< 






























































_______^_^ 











The above diagram shows the 
period of time covered by the books 
of Ezra, Haggai, Zechariah, Es- 
ther, and Nehemiah, and the Per- 
sian kings that reigned at that time. 



He causeth all, both small and 
great, rich and poor, free and bond, 
to receive a mark in their right 
hand, or in their foreheads : and 
that no man miglit buy or sell, save 
he that had the mark, or the name 
of the beast, or the number of his 
name. Rev. 13 : 16, 17. 



That which hath been is now ; 
and that which is to be hath already 



Others who have withdrawn from Babylon, and 
as the enemy rushes upon this latter class to 
slay them, the swords will fall like broken 
straws, for angels of God will fight for His 
people. 

This record, given in the book of Esther, is 
preserved in Bible history that men may know 
the future. God's dealings with the Jews re- 
veal the principles of His government, and in 
this history is a graphic description of the sins 
and deliverance of spiritual Israel. 

Xerxes was a cruel, arrogant man, and his 
character is shown not only in his dealings with 
the Hebrew race, but with other peoples as well. 
Not content with the extent of territory under 
his control, he mustered an immense army — : 
over five million, historians state — and crossed 
the Hellespont to subdue Grecia. Defeat and 
disaster accompanied the effort, however, and 
he returned unto his own kingdom. 

The Spirit of God was not yet withdrawn 
from the Medo-Persian court, and although 
Xerxes is the last king mentioned in the vis- 
ion which Daniel saw, yet God was still holding 
out mercy to the Israelites ; and it was during 
the reign of Artaxerxes Longimanus, the suc- 
cessor of Xerxes, that the final decree for the 
return of the Jews was issued. In like manner 
the grand jubilee will immediately follow Sa- 
tan's last effort to destroy the people of God. 

In the seventh year of the reign of Arta- 
xerxes, the heart of Ezra was stirred by the 
Spirit of God, and he appealed to the king for 
assistance. In response to the appeal Arta- 
xerxes issued the commandment recorded in 
the seyenth chapter of Ezra. This is the de- 



HISTORY OF THE DECREES. 



201 



cree of the year 457 b. c, mentioned in chap- 
ter ten, page 145, and is the date from which 
to reckon the beginning of the two thousand 
three hundred days of Daniel 8:14, and the 
seventy weeks of Daniel 9 : 24. The decree of 
Artaxerxes included all that was contained in 
the decrees of Cyrus and Darius, and gave fur- 
ther commandment to build the wall and estab- 
lish a government. 

Eighty years had passed since the decree of 
Cyrus — eighty years of forbearance ; but even 
after the experience of the days of Esther and 
Xerxes there was little interest manifested in 
the rebuilding of Zion, and the company who 
went with Ezra was small compared with what 
it should have been. The condition in Jerusa- 
lem was discouraging, for there the Jews had 
intermarried with the Canaanites, bringing in 
iniquity and confusion. The Sabbath was dese- 
crated, and the services of the Lord's house 
were neglected. It was not until the twentieth 
year of Artaxerxes, after Ezra had labored for 
Israel thirteen years, that Nehemiah came 
from Babylon and stirred the people into ac- 
tivity. Then, and not till then, were the walls 
rebuilt. Even then it was fighting with one 
hand and building with the other, because of a 
multitude of enemies. It was only then that 
they began to pay tithe, and to cease from 
ordinary traffic on the Sabbath; it was then 
that they put away their heathen wives ; but 
they did it only because threatened with God's 
wrath. 

Truly, Israel was stiff necked and rebellious. 
A remnant was saved from Babylon, but it was 
only a remnant ; and that remnant, after years 



been ; and God requiretji that which 
is past. Eccl. 3:15. 

Ezra 7 : 11-26. 

Rer. 15 : 2, 3. 

This Ezra went up from Bab- 
ylon ; and he was a ready scribe in 
the law of Moses, which the Lord 
God of Israel had given : and the 
king granted him all his request, 
according to the hand of the Lord 
his God upon him. Ezra 7 : 6. 

Now when these things were 
done, the princes came to me, say- 
ing, The people of Israel, and the 
priests, and the Levites, have not 
separated themselves from the peo- 
ple of the lands. For they have 
taken of their daughters for them- 
selves, and for their sons : so that 
the holy seed have mingled them- 
selves with the people of those 
lands : yea, the hand of the princes 
and rulers hath been chief in this 
trespass. Ezra 9:1,2. 

Then I contended with the no- 
bles of Judah, and said unto them. 
What evil thing is this that ye do, 
and' profane the Sabbath day? 
And it came to pass, that when the 
gates of Jerusalem began to be 
dark before the Sabbath, I com- 
manded that the gates should be 
shut, and charged that they should 
not be opened till after the Sab- 
bath. Neh. 13 : 15-20. 

I perceived that the portions of 
the Levites had not been given 
them ; then brought all Judah the 
tithe of the corn and the new wine 
and the oil unto the treasuries. 

Neh. 13 : 10-13. 

Neh. 13 :23, 24. 
Neh. 2 : 1-6. 
Neh. 4 : 13-21. 



They covet fields, and take them 
by violence ; and houses, and take 
them away ; so they oppress a man 
and his house, even a man and his 
heritage. Therefore thus saith the 
Lord ; Behold, against this family 
do I devise an evil, from which ye 



202 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



shall not remove your necks ; nei- 
ther shall ye go haughtily : for this 
time is evil. Micah 2:2,3. 

Who is a God like unto thee, that 
pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by 
the transgression of the remnant 
of his heritage? he retaineth not 
his anger forever, because he de- 
lighteth in mercy. 

Micah 7 : 18, 19. 

Thus saith the Lord God ; Re- 
move the diadem, and take off the 
crown : this shall not be the same : 
exalt him that is low, and abase 
him that is high. I will overturn, 
overturn, overturn it : and it shall 
be no more, until he come whose 
right it is ; and I will give it him. 
Eze. 21 ; 25-27. 

When I am gone forth, lo, the 
prince of Grecia shall come. 

Dan. 10 : 20. 

Dan. 5 :26. 

Why are thy valiant men swept 
away ? they stood not, because the 
Lord did drive them. 

Jer. 46 : 15, 

They did cry there, Pharaoh 
king of Egypt is but a noise ; he 
hath passed the time appointed. 
Jer. 46 : 17. 



of Struggling and much halting, was as a brand 
snatched from the burning. 

Jerusalem, which might have been the glory 
of the earth, fell a prey to each succeeding 
kingdom. Daniel's mind turned to the rising 
power of the kingdom of Grecia, and Gabriel 
next spoke of the mighty one who should rule 
with great dominion. Medo-Persia sank into a 
state of weakness, and the angel withdrew his 
sheltering wings ; probation was passed for an- 
other nation. It, too, had been numbered and 
found wanting ; and its name is dropped by the 
inspired penman. 

The history of the Persian empire, until it 
passed its zenith, is the history of the decrees ; 
and when that nation ceased to help forward the 
people upon whom God was still bestowing 
light, it is lost sight of by the divine historian- 
Time waits for neither man nor nation. The 
life of each individual may be read in the his- 
tory of the years of Medo-Persian supremacy. 
Let us hasten our steps toward the New Je- 
rusalem. 




S:::5> 



oolting for and Ka^Hng unio 

of ihs: day iof €tad. 



n Peter y.\z 





CHAPTER XIV. 



THE HISTORY OF GREECE. 



CHAPTER II : 3-13. 



The first two verses of the eleventh chapter 
of Daniel outline the history of the second king- 
dom, Medo- Persia. That portion of the chapter 
included in verses three to thirteen records the 
history of the third kingdom, Greece. Those 
things which are ** noted in the Scripture of 
truth" concerning Greece are the things which 
Gabriel made known to Daniel. The prophet 
had found it difficult to grasp the full signifi- 
cance of the symbols used in previous visions to 
represent the kingdoms of the world, and so in 
this last interview between the servant of God 
and the angel of prophecy, symbols are laid 
aside, and the history is repeated in plain lan- 
guage. 



In those times there shall many 
stand up against the king of the 
south ; also the robbers of thy peo- 
ple shall exalt themselves to estab- 
lish the vision ; but they shall fall. 
Dan. II : 14. 



The Lord answered me, and said, 
Write the vision, and make it 
plain upon tables, that he may run 
that readeth it. For the vision is 
yet for an appointed time, but at 
the end it ..nail speak, and not lie : 
though it tarry, wait for it ; because 
it will surely come, it will not 
tarry. Hab. 2 :2, 3. 



Isa. 8:1. 
Isa. 30:8. 



203 



204 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



Every word of God is pure : he 
is a shield unto them that put their 
tr .St in him. Prov. 30 : 5. 



Yea, if thou criest after knowl- 
edge, and liftest up thy voice for 
understanding ; if thou seekest her 
as silver, and searchest for her as 
for hid treasures ; then shalt thou 
understand the fear of the Lord, 
and find the knowledge of God. 
Prov. 2 : 1-5. 



Look unto me, and be ye saved, 
all the ends of the earth : for I am 
God, and there is none else. 

Isa. 45 : 22. 



The prophecy came not in old 
time [margin, at any time\ by the 
will of man : but holy men of God 
spake as they were moved by the 
Holy Ghost. 2 Peter 1 :2i. 



Thou, O Daniel, shut up the 
words, and seal the book, even to 
the time of the end. 

Dan. 12 :4. 

Thou shalt rest, and stand in thy 
lot at the end of the days. 

Dan. 12 : 13. 

And upon her forehead was a 
name written, MYSTERY, BAB- 
YLON THE GREAT, THE 
MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND 
ABOMINATIONS OF THE 
EARTH. Rev. 17:5. 

Rev. 18:2. 

Eze. 23 : 17. 

All nations have drunk of the 
wine of the wrath of her fornica- 
tion, and the kings of the earth 
have committed fornication with 
her. Rev. 18 : 3. 

Thou wentest to the king with 
ointment, and didst increase thy 
perfumes, and didst send thy mes- 
sengers far off, and didst debase 
thyself even unto hell. 

Isa. 57.9. 



Notwithstanding the fact that Gabriel gives 
the prophecy in a plain narrative, the very words 
he uses, and the facts which he selects from the 
multitude of events which actually took place, 
have a significance. In reading God's Word in 
any of its parts there is first to be found the 
story which lies on the surface ; and secondly, 
the deeper meaning, which is just as truly there, 
but which must be sought for as with a lighted 
candle. It is hoped that the reader may at 
least catch a glimpse of the deep spiritual les- 
sons while reading the plain narrative of events. 

God had a purpose when He gave the history 
of the four kingdoms, Babylon, Medo-Persia, 
Greece, and Rome. There is an incentive to 
understand these prophecies in the very fact 
that each nation is represented in a variety of 
ways, revealing different characteristics. And 
since. Daniel is a prophet for the latter days, 
there is an increased desire to read not only the 
history, but God's purpose in tracing the history 
with such unerring accuracy. Babylon, as a 
nation, as has been seen from the study of 
Daniel in connection with Revelation, repre- 
sents a condition of things which will exist in 
the church of the last days. Great was the 
splendor of that kingdom, but she was a har- 
lot, and the mother of harlots. Above the city 
Heaven saw the words, *' Mystery of iniquity," 
for she made all nations drunk with the wine of 
her fornication. 

Medo-Persia was a daughter of Babylon, and 
she played the harlot also ; that is, she partook 
of the sins of Babylon, and departed from the 
living God. The principles of the religion of 
Babylon were carried out by the daughter, 



THE HISTORY OF GREECE. 



205 



though the wickedness was ■ in a measure 
checked by the constant presence of angels in 
the court, who labored in behalf of the chosen 
people of God ; but the constant tendency to- 
ward tyranny and oppression in the government 
is revealed in the decree of Ahasuerus in the 
days of Esther. 

As Medo-Persia had an important part to 
play in connection with God's people, and while 
her part differed from the dealings of Babylon 
with that same people, so the Greek nation was 
called of God to do a work — a specific work. 
She, two, was a daughter of Babylon, partaking 
of her sins ; but these sins, while the same, led 
to different outward manifestations than in 
Medo-Persia. Like children of the same fam- 
ily, each reproducing the character of the par- 
ents, yet differing widely from one another, so 
Greece, Medo-Persia, and Rome are three sis- 
ters, daughters of the same mother, but each 
endowed with special features and strong peculi- 
arities. 

Greece spans the gulf between the Old and 
the New Testament- Its principal work as a 
nation was done during the time when there 
was no prophet in Israel, the period between 
Malachi and Christ, hence the book of Daniel 
is the only portion of the Bible which deals with 
this nation. The history of Greece can be 
traced to Javan of the family of Japheth, who, 
with his sons, settled in the islands of the Med- 
iterranean. The natural division of the country 
by the bays and mountains developed many in- 
dependent or semi-independent tribes, but they 
had one common language and one religion. 

It would seem that the principles of the wor- 



Michael, one of the chief princes, 
came to help me ; and I remained 
there with the kings of Persia. 

Dan. 10 : 13. 

The letters were sent by posts 
into all the king's provinces, to 
destroy, to kill, and to cause to 
perish, all Jews, both young and 
old, little children and women, in 
one day, even upon the thirteenth 
day of the twelfth month, which is 
the month Adar, and to take tire 
spoil of them for a prey. 

Esther 3 : 13. 

Ah sinful nation, a people laden 
with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, 
children that are corrupters : they 
have forsaken the Lord, they have 
provoked the Holy One of Israel 
unto anger, they are gone away 
backward. Isa. i :4. 

But draw near hither, ye sons of 
the sorceress, the seed of the adul- 
terer and the whore. Against 
whom do ye sport yourselves? 
against whom make ye a wide 
mouth, and draw out the tongue? 
are ye not children of transgres- 
sion, a seed of falsehood ? 

^ Isa. 57:3,4. 

Her gates are sunk into the 
ground ; he hath destroyed and 
broken her bars : her king and her 
princes are among the Gentiles ; 
the law is no more ; her prophets 
also find no vision from the Lord. 
Lam. 2 : 9. 



The history of God's people dur- 
ing this period is given in the two 
books of Maccabees in the Apocra- 
pha, and marginal references will 
be made in some instances from 
the Apocrapha. 



Gen. 10 :2, 4. 



At that time Merodach-baladan, 
the son of Baladan, king of Bab- 
ylon, sent letters and a present to 
Hezekiah. Isa. 39 : i, 2. 



206 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



When the queen of Sheba heard 
of the fame of Solomon, she came 
to prove Solomon with hard ques- 
tions at Jerusalem. 

2 Chron. 9:1. 



Every good gift and every per- 
fect gift is from above, and cometh 
down from the Father of lights, 
with whom is no variableness, 
neither shadow of turning. 

James i : 17. 



Every man is brutish in his 
knowledge : every founder is con- 
founded by the graven image : for 
his moulten image is falsehood, 
and there is no breath in them. 
They are vanity, and the work of 
errors : in the time of their visita- 
tion they shall perish. The por- 
tion of Jacob is not like them : for 
he is the former of all things ; and 
Israel is the rod of his inheritance : 
the Lord of hosts is his name. 

Jer. 10 : 14-16. 



Professing themselves to be wise, 
they became fools, and changed the 
glory of the uncorruptible God into 
an image made like to corruptible 
man, and to birds, and four-footed 
beasts, and creeping things. 
Wherefore God also gave them up 
to uncleanness through the lusts of 
their own hearts. 

Rom. I : 21-30, 



Avoiding profane and vain bab- 
bhngs, and oppositions of science 
falsely so-called which some pro- 
fessing have erred concernmg the 
faith. I Tim. 6 ; 20, 21. 



ship of Jehovah, as known to the sons of Noah, 
were carried into the isles of Greece, for 
throughout the entire system is traceable a 
close resemblance to the ceremonial law with 
its types and shadows, as carried on in Jerusa- 
lem in the days of Solomon. Again, when it 
is remembered that the kingdom of the Jews, 
in the days of its prosperity, was visited by rep- 
resentatives from all nations, it is easy to under- 
stand how the forms and ceremonies of the 
worship of Jehovah were adopted by the 
Greeks. Even the architecture of Palestine, 
especially the temple of Solomon, became a 
model to the Greeks, who were lovers of the. 
beautiful. Everything that is good and beau- 
tiful in the world has its origin in the mind of 
God. 

The gross idolatry of Babylon and Egypt was 
replaced in Greece by a more refined worship, 
if there can be said to be degrees of refinement 
in licentiousness. At any, rate Greek customs 
were less revolting on the surface, and hence 
more subtle and ensnaring. The aesthetic taste 
of the Greeks was developed by being in close 
contact with nature. They studied nature, and 
not having God's Word as an interpreter, they 
worshiped the forms instead of the Creator. 
They recognized the power of life, but not 
knowing the source of life, they were led into 
licentious practices, known as **the mysteries," 
where things which are sacred were defiled with 
drinking and passionate indulgence. 

There is a pathetic strain throughout their 
history. They came so close to the God of 
nature, and yet, not knowing Him, they wan- 
dered in such utter darkness. Theirs is a con- 



THE HISTORY OF GREECE. 



207 



stant reminder of the fate of those students of 
to-day who seek to understand natural phenom- 
ena, but do not interpret nature by the word 
of its Creator. They, too, worship Zeus and 
Demeter, Pluto, or Poseidon, instead of the 
Christ. The fact is, that the children of to-day 
are fed upon the myths and traditions of this 
very people, who were groping in darkness, 
worshiping the gods of Olympus, and ignorant 
of the God whose voice shook the mountains in 
every storm, whose smile was in every sunbeam, 
and whose rivers watered the fields. 

The Greeks offered sacrifices, but of what 
value were they when they accepted not the 
sacrifice of the slain Lamb of God ? The spirit 
of prophecy was cherished, but while God's 
prophets mingled with the people, the Greek 
prophetess, a maiden of questionable charac- 
ter, was secluded from the people, and received 
her inspiration from a vapor that poured from 
a rent in a rock over which the temple of Delphi 
was built. 

There was a priesthood, the duties of whose 
members were to reveal the will of the gods. 
The sacred feasts of Jehovah's people were re- 
placed by the national games of the Greeks. 
As the passover and the feast of tabernacles 
called the Hebrew race together, and promoted 
unity and a love of God, so the Greek games 
gathered that people together, promoting one 
common language, religion, and law. God's 
people met for spiritual worship; the Greeks 
for physical or intellectual enjoyment. 

The history of Greece is the history of physi- 
cal and intellectual culture. The people ad- 
mired grace and beauty, and her literary minds 



Neither give heed to fables and 
endless genealogies, which minister 
questions, rather than godly edify- 
ing which is in faith. 

I Tim. I '.4. 



The voice of thy thunder was in 
the heaven : the lightnings light- 
ened the world : the earth trembled 
and shook. Ps. 



77 •■ 18. 



He watereth the hills from his 
chambers. Ps. 104 : 13. 



Then the priest of Jupiter, which 
was before their city, brought oxen 
and garlands unto the gates, and 
would have done sacrifice with the 
people. Acts 14 : 11-13. 



Know ye not that they which 
run in a race run all, but one re- 
ceiveth the prize? So run, that ye 
may obtain. And every man that 
striveth for the mastery is temper- 
ate in all things. Now they do it 
to obtain a corruptible crown ; but 
we an incorruptible. I therefore 
so run, not as uncertainly ; so fight 
I, not as one that beateth the air : 
but I keep under my body, and 
bring it into subjection ; lest that 
by any means, when I have 
preached to others, I myself should 
be a castaway. r Cor. 9 : 24-27. 

Bodily exercise profiteth little : 
but godliness is profitable unto all 
things, having promise of the life 
that now is, and of that which is 
to come. 1 Tim. 4 : 8. 

Why do thy disciples transgress 
the tradition of the elders? . . . 
But he answered and said unto 
them, Why do ye also transgress 
the commandment ot God by your 
tradition? . . . Thus have ye 
made the commandment of God 
of none effect by your tradition. 
Matt. 15 . 2, 3. 6. 

I Tim. 6 :2o. 



208 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



Beware lest any man spoil you 
through philosophy and vain deceit, 
after the tradition of men, after the 
rudiments of the world, and not 
after Christ, Col. 2 : 8. 



All therefore whatsoever they 
bid you observe, that observe and 
do ; but do ye not after their works : 
for they say, and do not. 

Matt. 23 : 3. 



Of the tree of the knowledge of 
good and evil, thou shalt not eat of 
it : for in the day that thou catest 
thereof thou shalt surely die. 

Gen. 2:17. 



Then certain of the people were 
so forward herein, that they went 
to the king, who gave them license 
to do after the ordinances of the 
heathen : whereupon they built a 
place of exercise at Jerusalem 
according to the customs of the 
heathen : and made themselves un- 
circumcised, and forsook the holy 
covenant, and joined themselves to 
the heathen, and were sold to do 
mischief, i Maccabees i : 13-15. 

Israel's departure from the Lord 
during the period of Greek influ- 
ence was so great that they were 
not entrusted with the spirit of 
prophecy as aforetime. 



Dan. 10 :2o. 
Dan. 11:3. 



Vainly puffed up by his fleshly 
mind. Col. 2 : 18. 

Gen. 49 : 5, 6. 



I am the Lord, and there is none 
else, there is no God beside me : I 
girded thee, though thou hast not 
known me. Isa. 45 : 5. 



worshiped the intellect. Plato, the greatest of 
Greek philosophers, lived about four hundred 
years before Christ, and his teachings have led 
the thoughts of v^riters in every age since then. 
The Jews mingled the teachings of the Bible 
with the philosophy of Plato, and that formed 
the traditions of men, against which Christ so 
often warned His followers. The false philos- 
ophy, and the "science falsely so called" of 
Paul's time, was Greek teaching, which breathed 
the spirit of Plato and his students. 

Plato's v^itings have replaced the Bible with 
many, and a large number of modern writers, 
of both prose and poetry, recognize him as their 
intellectual leader. The philosophy of this man 
was often good, and he admired truth ; but the 
error lay in admiring or assenting to truth, and 
failing to live it out. His followers came under the 
condemnation of Christ, together with the Phari- 
sees, of whom He said, "They say^ but do not," 

Here, in Greek religion and Greek learning, 
was the most subtile form of that mixture of 
truth and error which Satan offered at the tree 
of the knowledge of good and evil, which ex- 
isted from the days of Eden to the time of 
Greece. Babylon enslaved the bodies of God's 
people, Medo-Persia made laws to slay them, but 
Greece captured their minds, and enslaved them 
to her ideas. She counterfeited so neatly, so 
adroitly, the spiritual teachings of the Old Tes- 
tament ; and so quietly, yet so surely, wound her 
tendrils about God's people, that her slavery was 
far worse than that of Egypt or Babylon. It 
is this influence which must be taken into con- 
sideration while following the history of the 
Greeks as given by Gabriel. 



THE HISTORY OF GREECE. 



209 



The angel said, "When I am gone forth 
[from Persia], lo, the prince of Grecia shall 
come." And of Greece, he says, **A mighty 
king shall stand up, that shall rule with great 
dominion, and do according to his will." It is 
in this language that Alexander is introduced in 
the divine records. He was not a Greek, but a 
Macedonian, the son of Philip of Macedon. 
He stands in history as one of those strong 
characters whom God uses in spite of the fact 
that, they are unacquainted with Him, and 



The most High ruleth in the 
kingdom of men, and giveth it to 
whomsoever he will. 

Dan. 4 :32. 

Therefore the he goat waxed very 
great. Dan. 8 : 8. 



I have even called thee by thy 
name: I have surnamed thee, 
though thou hast not known me. 
I am the Lord, and there is none 
else, there is no God beside me : I 
girded thee, though thou hast not 
known me. Isa. 45 : 4, 5. 






&e tree of the tttoiu- 
Udge of good ^ 
and eViLthou^Ixalt 
not eat of it 






M- 



<3re»vZ.i7 



know not His manner of working. Alexander, 
in Greek history, corresponds in some ways to 
Cyrus the Persian. 

Alexander, as a boy, showed an indomitable 
will, and as he grew to manhood the trait 
strengthened. He was educated by Aristotle, 
the illustrious pupil of Plato, in the wisdom of 
the Greeks. When twenty years of age, Philip 
of Macedon died, leaving the government to 
Alexander. This was the year 336 b. c. 
Alexander united the independent states of 
14 



Jehovah God gave commandment 
unto the man, saying : Of every 
of the trees of the garden eating 
thou mayest eat : But of the tree of 
the knowledge of good and evil 
thou shalt not eat of it, for on the 
day thou eatest thereof, dying thou 
shalt die. 

Gen. 2 : i6, 17 [Spurrell's trans.] 

Jehovah God layeth a charge on 
the man, saying. Of every tree of 
the garden eating thou dost eat ; 
and of the tree of knowledge of 
good and evil, thou dost npt eat of 
it, for in the day of thine eating of 
it — dying thou dost die. 

Gen. 2 : 16, 17 [Young's trans.] 



Even a child is known by his 
doings, whether his work be pure, 
and whether it be right. 

Prov. 20 : II. 



He seeth that wise men die, like- 
wise the fool and the brutish per- 
son perish, and leave their wealth 
to others. Ps. 49 : 10. 



210 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



After this I beheld, and lo an- 
other, like a leopard, which had 
upon the back of it four wings of a 
fowl ; the beast had also four 
heads : and dominion was given 
to it. Dan. 7 : 6. 

A leopard shall watch over their 
cities : every ojie that goeth out 
thence shall be torn in pieces. 

Jer. 5:6. 



A leopard by the way will I 
observe them. Hosea 13 : 7. 



Can the Ethiopian change his 
skin, or the leopard his spots? then 
may ye also do good, that are ac- 
customed to do evil. 

Jer. 13 •.23. 



I turned myself to behold wis- 
dom, and madness, and folly. Then 
I saw that wisdom excelleth folly, 
as far as light excelleth darkness. 
Eccl. 2 : 12, 13. 



As I was considering, behold, an 
he goat came from the west on the 
face of the whole earth, and none 
touched him in the earth. And the 
goat had a notable horn between 
his eyes. Dan. 8 : 5 [margin]. ■ 



Another third kingdom of brass, 
which shall bear rule over all the 
earth. Dan. 2 139. 



Therefore the he goat waxed very 
great : and when he was strong, the 
great horn was broken. 

Dan. 8:8. 



Greece, and placed himself at the head of their 
amphictyonic council. The Greeks were ambi- 
tious, and the new general organized an army for 
foreign conquest. 

The third kingdom was represented by a leop- 
ard with four wings on its back. This symbol 
covered the time not only that Alexander was 
king, but during its divided state as well. The 
swiftness of conquest is well represented by the 
wings of a fowl; the cunning, insinuating nature 
by the lithe form of the leopard ; and the min- 
gling together of truth and error in its doctrines 
and practices by the spots. " Can the leopard 
change his spots ? " No more could Greece give 
truth without a portion of the false; no more 
can truth and error be separated in that system 
of education founded upon the wisdom of the 
Greeks — her philosophy, her myths, and her 
nature teaching. 

Again Daniel saw the progress of this third 
nation, as a rough goat coming from the west 
without touching the earth. This marks the 
rapidity of the conquests carried on by Alexan- 
der. It was Granicus, Asia Minor, Issus, Tyre, 
Gaza, with the surrender of all Egypt ; Arbela, 
Babylon, Susa, Bactria, and India — all in the 
space of eight short years. Having conquered 
those who opposed him, he planned to, unite the 
extensive territory over which he bore sway. 
He was an organizer and diplomat as well as a 
general. By marrying a princess of Babylon, 
and giving several members of the royal family 
of Persia in marriage to his generals, he sought 
to win the favor of the conquered races. It was 
while in Babylon, directing affairs in that an- 
cient Eastern capital, that Alexander died, prob- 



THE HISTORY OF GREECE. 



211 



ably as' a result of intemperance and excess. 
He was still a young man, but the nations of 
the world bowed at his feet. 

In following the rapid conquests of Alexan- 
der, — symbolized by the goat which touched 
not the ground, — no mention has been made of 
the Jews. As God brought Nebuchadnezzar 
and Cyrus in direct contact, with His people, 
that they might know the God of heaven, so He 
permitted Alexander to learn of Him. While 
that conqueror was passing from Tyre, after its 
surrender, toward Gaza, which guards the en- 
trance into Egypt, he stopped at Jerusalem. 
Josephus states that great consternation filled 
the city when it was known that the Greek war- 
rior was coming. But the high priest, Juddas, 
had a dream in which he was bidden to go out 
to meet Alexander, arrayed in his priestly gar- 
ments, and accompanied by the temple officers 
clad in white. 

When Alexander met this company, much to 
the surprise of his army and generals, he bowed 
to the ground to worship the God whose name 
was on the miter worn by the high priest. He 
then accompanied the high priest to the temple 
at Jerusalem, where the sacrifices were ex- 
plained ; also the prophecies of Daniel concern- 
ing the rise and fall of Babylon, the conquests 
of Medo-Persia and its subsequent fall, and the 
rise of a third empire. Daniel, who had in 
person witnessed before Nebuchadnezzar and 
Cyrus, was then quoted to Alexander. The 
mighty conqueror was in the presence of the 
Spirit of God, and was given the message that 
the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, 
and giveth it to whomsoever he will. Would he 



He that hath no rule over his 
own spirit is like a city that is 
broken down, and without walls. 
Prov. 25 : 28. 

Wine is a mocker, strong drink is 
raging ; and whosoever is deceived 
thereby is not wise. 

Prov. 20 : 1. 

The Gentiles shall come to thy 
light, and kings to the brightness 
of thy rising. Isa. 60 : 3. 



Arise, O Lord, disappoint him, 
cast him down : deliver my soul 
from the wicked, which is thy 
sword : from men which are thy 
hand, O Lord, from men of the 
world, which have their portion in 
this life, and whose belly thou 
fillest with thy hid treasure, 

Ps. 17: 13, 14. 

Thou shalt make holy garments 
for Aaron thy brother for glory 
and for beauty. Ex. 28 : 2, 



Kings shall be thy nursing fa- 
thers, and their queens thy nursing 
mothers : they shall bow down to 
thee with their face toward the 
earth, and lick up the dust of thy 
feet : and thou shalt know that I 
am the Lord : for they shall not be 
ashamed that wait for me . 

Isa. 49 :23. 

Dan. 2 : 3 1-39, 
Dan. 8 : 3-8. 
Dan. 8 :20, 21. 
Dan. 1 1 : 2-4. 

He shall break in pieces mighty 
men without number, and set oth- 
ers in their stead. Job 34 : 24. 

Dan, 4:32. 

Behold, I stand at the door, and 
knock : if any man hear my voice, 
and open the door, I will come in 
to him, and will sup with him, and 
he with me. Rev. 3 : 20. 



212 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 




Alexander bowed to the ground to worship the 

Qod whose name was on the miter worn by the high priest. 



Behold, what manner of love the 
Father hath bestowed upon us, that 
we should be called the sons of 
God. I John 3 : i, 2. 



Who changed the truth of God 
into a lie, and worshiped and 
served the creature more than the 
Creator, who is blessed forever. 
Amen. Rom. i -.2$, 



AH are of the dust, and all turn 
to dust again. Eccl. 3 ; 18-20. 



bow in submission, and let God conquer for 
him ? This was the opportune moment in his 
Hfe. 

Alexander acknowledged God, but left Jeru- 
salem and pushed forward in battle. Gaza fell. 
Egypt was entered, and there, in order to gratify 
a selfish pride, he had himself proclaimed son of 
Jupiter Ammon. He who might have become 
a son of God chose rather to be called the son 
of Jupiter. The result of Greek education and 
learning is fully exemplified in this one act. 
The outcome of such a choice — a fit consum- 
mation of all Greek teaching — was met at 
Babylon when the king, at his very prime, laid 



THE HISTORY OF GREECE. 



213 



down and died with no hope of the future. It 
is a sad but impressive commentary for those 
who seek the ways of the world in preference 
to the truths of God. 

One thing which the inspired historian notes, 
is, that he would do ** according to his will." 
When man makes such a resolution, it means 
that he has been offered a choice between God 
and Satan, and has chosen the latter. There 
are but two minds in the universe, and he who 
rejects God may claim that he exercises his own 
mind, but it means that he is swayed by the 
mind of the enemy of God. "Let this mind 
be in you which was also in Christ Jesus," for 
it brings liberty. The spirit which wishes to 
exalt self is imitating the philosophy of the 
Greeks, and its result is death ; for Greek phil- 
osophy is but a continuation of the philosophy 
used to deceive Adam and Eve in Eden, at the 
tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 

Alexander left no heirs to the throne who 
could hold the reins of government. His eldest 
son was a child of five. A number of strong 
men had acted as generals of the army during 
the march through Asia, and on the death of 
the emperor eight of these contended for su- 
premacy. None, however, were strong enough 
to subdue all the others. Nearly twenty years 
were spent in war and contention. Finally it 
was decided that Ptolemy should hold Egypt ; 
Seleucus Syria and the east ; Lysimachus 
Thrace and Asia Minor, and Cassander Greece. 
The territory of Alexander was divided, but 
"not to his posterity ; " neither was the strength 
of these four equal to that of Alexander, and 
the four partitions lasted but a few years. 



He that is of the earth is earthly. 
Johns: 31. 



3, And a mighty king shall stand 
up, that shall rule with great 
dominion, and do according to his 
will. Dan. 11 : 3. 

Choose you this day whom ye 
will serve. Joshua 24 : 13, 

2 Cor. 4 :4. 
Eph. 2:2,3. 
Phil. 2:5. 
Matt. 12 : 30. 

If the son therefore shall make 
you free, ye shall be free indeed. 
John 8 : 36. 



I fear, lest by any means, as the 
serpent beguiled Eve through his 
subtility, so your minds should be 
corrupted from the simplicity that 
is in Christ. 2 Cor. u :$. 



Behold, the eyes of the Lord 
God are upon the sinful kingdom, 
and I will destroy it from off the 
face of the earth. Amos 9 : 8. 



4. And when he shall stand up, 
his kingdom shall be broken, and 
shall be diuided toward the four 
winds of heauen ; and not to his 
posterity, nor according to his 
dominion which he ruled ; for his 
kingdom shall be plucked up, even 
for others beside those. 

Dan. 11; 4, 



Therefore the he goat waxed 
very great : and when he was 
strong, the great horn was broken ; 
and for it came up four notable 
ones towards the four winds of 
heaven. Dan. 8; 8. 



214 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



5. And the king of the south 
shall be sttong, and one of his 
princes; and he shall be strong 
above him, and haue dominion; 
his dominion shall be a great 
dominion. Dan. 11: 6. 

Hab. 2 : 5-7. 

He leadeth counselors away 
spoiled, and maketli the judges 
fools. He looseth the bond of 
kings, and g^rdeth their loins with 
a girdle. He leadeth princes away 
spoiled, and overthroweth the 
mighty. Job 12 : 17-19. 

When they went from one nation 
to another, from one kingdom to 
another people, he suffered no man 
to do them wrong : yea, he re- 
proved kings for their sakes. 

Ps. 105 : 13, 14. 

God is known in her palaces for 
a refuge. For, lo, the kings were 
assembled, they passed by together. 
They saw it, and so they marveled : 
they were troubled, and hasted 
away. Ps. 48 :3-s. 



Another third kingdom of brass, 
which shall bear rule over all the 
earth. Dan. 2 : 39. 



I Maccabees i : 28. 
I Maccabees i : 39-46. 



The daughter of Egypt shall be 
confounded : she shall be delivered 
into the hand of the people of the 
north. The Lord of hosts, the God 
of Israel, saith ; Behold, I will 
punish the multitude of No, and 
Pharaoh, and Egypt, with their 
gods, and their kings ; even Pha- 
raoh and all them that trust in him. 
Jer. 46 ; 24, 25. 



Greece, which was under the rule of Cassan- 
der, was taken by Lysimachus, thus uniting the 
western and northern divisions. 

In 281 B. c, after intrigues too numerous to 
mention, Seleucus met Lysimachus and slew 
him in battle. This reduced the four divisions 
to two, the rulers of which were afterward dis- 
tinguished as kings of the north and the south. 
Seleucus, the king of the north, now held ter- 
ritory which had formerly belonged to three 
generals, while Ptolemy retained the southern 
division. This agrees with the words of Ga- 
briel to Daniel. The fifth verse, according to 
Spurrell, reads: "Then shall the king of the 
south, even one of his [Alexander's] princes, 
be strong; yet shall another exceed him in 
strength and have dominion ; a grand domin- 
ion shall be his dominion.' 

The Ptolemy who gained Egypt was sur- 
named Soter, or Saviour, and on his death he 
was succeeded by his son, Ptolemy Philadelphus. 
The Seleucus who gained the three divisions 
was succeeded by his son Antiochus Sotor, who 
was killed by the Gauls in Asia Minor. The 
third in the line of Greco-Syriac kings was An- 
tiochus Theos, who was reigning in Syria while 
Ptolemy Philadelphus reigned on the Egyptian 
throne. 

There is, however, something aside from the 
mere succession of kings which is worthy of 
notice. Gabriel gave Daniel the framework of 
the history of Greece. We have in the inspired 
record something which corresponds to the skel- 
eton in the human body, and the flesh and or- 
gans of life need to be put in. These nations 
which were then in existence were a shelter, 



THE HISTORY OF GREECE 



215 



perhaps, a scaffolding, built about God's people, 
offering them another opportunity to work. 
The Spirit of God was working in the courts 
of monarchs as faithfully as ever. At the same 
time the controversy between truth and error 
never for a moment abated. 

It might seem to the casual observer that 
Greece was not in reality a ruling power in the 
sense that Babylon and Medo- Persia were uni- 
versal monarchies. Let us see. From the first 
it has been noted that Greece was an intellect- 
ual ruler rather than a power which held the 
bodies of men in slavery. If we may person- 
ify Greek intellect in ^.^gj^ an abstract way, 




He went to the king, not to be 
an accuser of his countrymen, but 
seeking the good of all, both pub- 
lic and private : for he saw that it 
was impossible that the state 
should continue quiet, and Simon 
leave his folly, unless the king did 
look thereunto. But after the death 
of Seleucus, when Antiochus , called 
Epiphanes, took the kingdom, Ja- 
son, the brother of Onias labored 
underhand to be high priest, prom- 
ising unto the king by intercession 
three hundred and threescore tal- 
ents of silver, and of another reve- 
nue eighty talents : beside this, he 
promised to assign an hundred and 
fifty more, if he might have license 
to set him up a place for exercise, 
and for the training up of youth in 
the fashions of the heathen, and to 
write them of Jerusalem by the 



allBtilchtldBm of priiiir 



we may say that Alexander was the tool in 
God's hand for building up a kingdom 
where it might hold sway. Alexander did 
this work well; and while he individu- 
ally fell, the Greek language, learning, and 
customs were introduced into all countries 
where his arms had opened the way. The 
Greek religion, with its mysteries, was accepted 
in Syria and Asia Minor; Greek games were 
celebrated in the eastern provinces. But Greek 
education took a position ahead even of her reli- 
gion, and Greek teachers and scholars followed 
in the wake of the conqueror. The Greek lan- 
guage was almost universally used, and Greek 



name of Antiochians. Which 
when the king had granted, and he 
had gotten into his hand the rule, 
he forthwith brought his own 
nation to the Greekish fashion. 
. . . For he built gladly a place 
of exercise under the tower itself, 
and brought the* chief young men 
under his subjection, and made 
them wear a hat. Now such was 
the height of Greek fashions, and 
increase of heathenish manners, 
through the exceeding profaneness 
of Jason, that ungodly wretch, and 
no high priest, that the priests had 
no courage to serve any more at the 
altar ; but despising the temple, 
and neglecting the sacrifices, has- 
tened to be partakers of the unlaw- 
ful allowance in the place of exer- 
cise, after the game of Discus 
called them forth ; not setting by 



2l6 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



the honors of their fathers, but 
liking the glory of the Grecians 
best of all. By reason whereof 
sore calamity came upon them : for 
they had them to be their enemies 
and avengers, whose custom they 
followed so earnestly, and unto 
whom they desired to be like in all 
things. 2 Maccabees 4 : 5-16. 



Mischief shall come upon mis- 
chief, and rumor shall be upon ru- 
mor : then shall they seek a vision 
of the propb"": ; but the law shall 
perish from the priest, and counsel 
from the ancients. Eze. 7 : 26. 



Her gates are sunk into the 
ground ; he hath destroyed and 
broken her bars ; her king and her 
princes are among the Gentiles : 
the law is no more; her prophets 
also find no vision from the Lord. 
Lam. 2 : 9. 



Where there is no vision, the 
people perish : but he that keepeth 
he law, happy is he. 

Prov. 29 : 18. 



Take heed to thyself that thou be 
not snared by following them, after 



books were in demand. The city of Alexandria, 
in Egypt, was founded by Alexander, and it be- 
came the center of Greek learning. Egyptian 
idolatry and Greek philosophy sat enthroned 
beside each other. As the Encyclopedia Britan- 
nica states it, " In Egypt a Greek aristocracy of 
office, birth, and intellect existed side by side 
with a distinct native life." 

Israel had once been miraculously delivered 
from physical bondage in Egypt. They had 
been warned against fleeing to Egypt for pro- 
tection in the days of Nebuchadnezzar at the 
siege of Jerusalem. They may have escaped 
the . bondage of those earlier times, but they 
were captured by the learning of the Greeks. 
In the days of Ptolemy Soter, hosts of Jews 
flocked into Egypt, and those who remained 
in Jerusalem and Palestine imbibed many of 
the ideas of the Greeks. 

It has been stated that the history of Greece 
fills the time between the prophecy of Malachi 
and John the Baptist. We are now ready to 
appreciate the reason why Israel was so long 
without the sound of a prophet's voice. God 
gave Israel a system of education separate and 
distinct from the systems of all other nations ; a 
system which, if followed, would forever make 
it impossible for the people to go into captivity. 
But Israel often gave up her God-given system 
for the teaching of heathen nations. 

When the Jews returned from Babylon, they 
were strongly tinctured with Babylonian ideas 
of education and religion. This prepared them 
to accept with readiness the teachings of the 
Greeks. The rabbis of Jerusalem mingled the 
principles of Greek philosophy so thoroughly 




Priests watching Grecian games. 



THE HISTORY OF GREECE. 



217 



with the statutes of Jehovah, which they were 
commanded to teach the children, that from the 
death of Malachi to the birth of John the Bap- 
tist there was not a family in Judah to whom 
the education of a prophet could be intrusted. 

The Greek games were performed in Jerusa- 
lem itself, and Jewish youth, dressed only in 
the scarf and broad hat, in imitation of the god 
Hermes, wrestled like the Athenian athletes. 
It is stated by Dr. Mears that the priests, when 
the signal was given for the sports, left their 
work in the temple to watch the games. Greek 
names replaced the Jewish in many instances, 
and even priests intermarried with the Greeks. 
It is no wonder that Gabriel gave specific in- 
struction concerning the name to be given the 
babe of Zacharias and Elizabeth, for although 
there was once a time when every child in Is- 
rael was named under the inspiration of the 
Spirit, the Israelites had now chosen Greece in 
the place of God. 

The whole Jewish teaching was Hellenized ; 
and when John the Baptist was born, his mother 
and father were commanded to leave the city of 
Jerusalem, and educate the child in the desert, 
away from the influence of the schools and the 
society of the Jews. Christ himself never en- 
tered the schools of His day, because of the 
mixture of the truth of God with heathen phil- 
osophy. Greek teaching exalted nature; but 
the Son of God could not hear the voice of the 
Father in the teachings of the schools, and He 
wandered through the woods alone, or in com- 
pany with His mother. Then it was that na- 
ture, the great object lesson of the Creator, 
was opened to His expanding mind. Other 



that they be destroyed from before 
thee ; and that thou inquire not 
after their gods, saying, How did 
these nations serve their gods? 
even so will I do likewise. 

Deut. 12 : 30. 

Not long after this the king sent 
an old man of Athens to compel 
the Jews to depart from the laws of 
their fathers, and not to live after 
the laws of God ; and to pollute 
also the temple in Jerusalem, and 
to call it the temple of Jupiter 
Olympus : the coming in of this 
mischief was sore and grievous to 
the people : for the temple was 
filled with riot and reveling by the 
Gentiles, who dallied with harlots, 
and had to do with women within 
the circuit of the holy places, and 
besides that brought in things that 
were not lawful. 

2 Maccabees 6 : 1-4. 

Thou shalt call his name John. 
Luke I : 13, 15, 63. 



The child grew, and waxed 
strong in spirit, and was in the 
deserts till the day of his showing 
unto Israel. Luke i : 80. 



In those days came John the 
Baptist, preaching in the wilder- 
ness of Judea. Matt. 3 : I. 

The Jews marveled, saying, How 
knoweth this man letters, having 
never learned? Jesus answered 
them, and said. My doctrine is not 
mine, but his that sent me. 

John 7 : IS, 16. 

Then stood there up one in the 
council, a Pharisee, named Gama- 
liel, a doctor of the law, had in 
reputation among all the people, 
and commanded to put the apos- 
tles forth a little space. 

Acts 5 : 34. 



2l8 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



I am verily a man which am a 
Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cil- 
icia, yet brought up in this city at 
the feet of Gamaliel, and taught 
according to the perfect manner of 
the law of the fathers, and was 
zealous toward God, as ye all are 
this day. Acts 22 : 3. 

Ex. 14 : ,13. 

Even his eternal power and God- 
head : so that they are without ex- 
cuse ■ because that, when they 
knew God, they glorified him not 
as God, neither were thankful ; but 
became vain in tlieir imaginations, 
and their foolish heart was dark- 
ened. Professing themselves to be 
wise, they became fools. 

Rom. I : 20-22. 



But T would ye should under- 
stand, brethren, that the things 
which happened unto me have 
fallen out rather unto the further- 
ance of the gospel. So that my 
bonds in Christ are manifest in all 
the palace, and in all other places. 
Phil. I : 12, 13. 



2 Cor. 10:4, 5. 



I will also give thee for a light 
to the Gentiles, that thou mayst be 
my salvation unto the end of the 
earth. Isa. 49 :6, 



All the Athenians and strangers 
which were there spent their time 
in nothing else, but either to tell, 
or to hear some new thing. 

Acts 17 :2i. 



The Jews require a sign, and the 
Greeks seek after wisdom : but we 
preach Christ crucified, unto the 
Jews a stumbling block, and unto 



Jewish youth sat at the feet of the rabbis, learn- 
ing what the spirit of the Greeks taught, and 
they crucified the Lord of Hfe. 

It is a wonderful thing to man, who is so lim- 
ited in means, to watch the workings of God, 
who is so limitless in resources. When the 
Jews fled to Egypt, then God took advantage of 
their presence there, and turned it to His glory. 
Ptolemy Philadelphus founded the Alexandrian 
Library, and it was he who encouraged the 
translation of the Old Testament into Greek. 
Thus the prophecies concerning the promised 
Messiah were put into the universal lan- 
guage nearly three hundred years before the 
birth of Christ. The world might become in- 
toxicated with the Greek philosophy, but God 
left man without excuse by placing the word of 
life in the household tongue of the nations. 
Satan may scheme, and his agents on earth may 
be wise, but they can do nothing against the 
truth without in that very act promoting the 
truth. While the dark wings of paganism were 
drawing closer and closer about the world, to 
shut out if possible the light of heaven, the 
word of God, as a lighted candle, was shin- 
ing under that darkness, and proclaiming the 
advent of the Desire of all ages. 

The first verses in the history of Greece 
(Dan. 1 1 : 3-5) bring the student face to face 
with that country as an intellectual power, and 
reveal the secret of her strength to be in her 
language and philosophy. She conquered the 
world by bringing all minds under her control. 
It was the plan of the enemy of truth to sub- 
jugate minds to a false philosophy; and since 
this was the scheme upon which he worked in 



THE HISTORY OF GREECE. 



219 



Greece, it was under this same national influ- 
ence that the truth which frees the mind was 
given to the world. How far-reaching, then, 
were the purposes of God. 

Another great principle lies side by side with 
the one given in those first verses. This sec- 
ond, which is hidden in verses six to thirteen, 
has to do with the working out of those same 
principles through the government as a chan- 
nel.' The kingdom of Alexander resolved itself 
into two divisions, a northern and a southern. 
Both were Hellenized, but the northern repre- 
sented more truly the Greek principles, while 
the southern division was strongly tinctured 
with the old Egyptian ideas of both govern- 
ment and religion. It was the northern divi- 
sion which carried forward the work of the 
prophecy as symbolized by the leopard and 
the rough goat, and it was from the northern 
division that the little horn of Daniel eight 
proceeded. Consequently it must be right to 
conclude that it is the Greco- Syriac division, 
rather than the Egyptian division, that will do 
the work of which Alexander was the forerun- 
ner. Nevertheless there will be throughout the 
ages until the end of time a strength rising from 
the south and opposing the northern power. 
This will again be seen in the Mohammedan 
work of the Middle Ages during the supremacy 
of the fourth beast. But we must watch the 
working out of the principle during the life of 
the third kingdom, as that is introductory in 
itself to the future work. 

History reveals the fact that the greatest 
strength in government is found in those powers 
whose territory extends from east to west, and 



the Greeks foolishness. But unto 
them which are called, both Jews 
and Greeks, Christ the power of 
God, and the wisdom of God. Be- 
cause the foolishness of God is 
wiser than men ; and the weakness 
of God is stronger than men. 

I Cor. I : 22-25. 
Dan, II :6-i3. 

The king of the south shall be 
strong, and one of his princes ; and 
he shall be strong above him, and 
have dominion ; his dominion shall 
be a great dominion. 

Dan. 11:5. 



Out of one of them came forth a 
little horn, which waxed exceeding 
great, toward the south ; and to- 
ward the east, and toward the 
pleasant land. Dan. 8 :q. 



Thou art of purer eyes than to 
behold evil, and canst not look on 
iniquity : wherefore lookest thou 
upon them that deal treacherously, 
and boldest thy tongue when the 
wicked devoureth the man that is 
more righteous than he ? And 
makest men as the fishes of the 
sea, as the creeping things, that 
have no ruler over them? They 
take up all of them with the angle, 
they catch them in their net, and 
gather them in their drag : there- 
fore they rejoice and are glad. 

Hab. I : 13-16. 



Rev. 9: 1-2 1. 



I say unto you, That many shall 
come from the east and west, and 
shall sit down with Abraham, and 
Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom 
of heaven. Matt, 8:11. 



220 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



Out of the south cometh the 
whirlwind : and cold out of the 
north. . . . Fair weather cometh 
out of the north. Job 37 : 9, 22. 



I saw the beast, and the kings of 
the earth, and their armies, gath- 
ered together to make war against 
him that sat on the horse, and 
against his army. Rev. 19 : 19. 

He gathered them together into 
a place called in the Hebrew tongue 
Armageddon. Rev, 16 : 16. 



6. And in the end of years they 
shall Join themselves together; 
for the king's daughter of the 
south shall come to the king of the 
north to make an agreement : but 
she shall not retain the power of 
the arm : neither shall he stand, 
nor his arm : but she shall be giuen 
up, and they that brought her, 
and he that begat her, and he 
that strengthened her in these 
times, Dan. 11 : 6. 



They shall mingle, themselves 
with the seed of men ; but they 
shall not cleave one to another, 
even as iron is not mixed with miry 
clay. Dan. 2 :43. 



I say unto you, Whosoever shall 
put away his wife, except it be for 
fornication, and shall marry an- 
other, committeth adultery : and 
whoso marrieth her which is put 
away doth commit adultery. 

Matt. 19 :<). 

The curse of the Lord is in the 
house of the wicked : but he bless- 
eth the habitation of the just. 

Prov. 3 : 33. 

Jealousy is cruel as the grave : 
the coals thereof are coals of fire, 
which hath a most vehement flame. 
Son<; of Sol. 8 : 6. 



that nations which try to govern territory ex- 
tending far to the north and the south have 
trouble. It is in recognition of this fact that 
each universal empire has progressed mainly 
from east to west, and each succeeding kingdom 
has gone farther to the west than the preceding 
one. This continues until the globe is encircled, 
and all the kings of the earth finally meet in 
the great battle of Armageddon. 

In spite of this controlling principle among 
nations, and in face of the decree of the Holy 
Watcher, the north and the south attempted to 
unite. Worldly policy of intermarriage was fol- 
lowed, and as Spurrell renders verse 6, *' After 
some years they [the kings of the north and the 
south] shall be associated ; for the daughter of 
the king of the south [Berenice, daughter of 
Ptolemy Philadelphus] shall come to the king 
of the north [Antiochus Theos] to make agree- 
ments." Antiochus put away his lawful wife, 
Laodice, in order to marry Berenice, and the re- 
sults of this transgression of God's law are 
given by the pen of Inspiration: "The arm 
shall not retain its strength, neither shall their 
offspring be established ; but she shall be given 
up, and her attendants, and her child, and 
her supporters at those times." Human pen 
can not make the history any plainer than did 
Gabriel in relating it to Daniel nearly two hun- 
dred years before it occurred. Berenice lost 
favor in the eyes of Antiochus Theos, who 
thereupon recalled Laodice. The jealous 
wife then caused Antiochus to be poisoned, 
and placed her own son on the throne. 
Through her influence, also, Berenice, her 
child by Antiochus, and her Egyptian atten- 



THE HISTORY OF GREECE. 



221 



dants and supporters, were all murdered. 

This aroused the royal house of Egypt, and a 
brother of Berenice advanced into the territory 
of Antiochus with a large army. "He shall rule 
within the fortifications of the kings of the 
north, and shall war against them and shall pre- 
vail." Ptolemy Euergetes, son of Ptolemy Phil- 
adelphus, is here described. He not only in- 
vaded Syria, but went to Babylon, where he 
found some of the Egyptian gods and molten 
images which Cambyses had captured during 
his war in Egypt. These Ptolemy returned, 
and for this was named Euergetes (benefactor) 
by his grateful people. It is said that he car- 
ried to Egypt forty thousand talents of silver 
and many vessels of silver and gold. Ptolemy 
Euergetes then returned to his own kingdom, 
where he outlived Antiochus Callinicus, the son 
of Laodice. 

But trouble did not cease then. There was a 
natural jealousy and antipathy between the 
north and the south. Ptolemy Euergetes held 
much of Syria. On the death of Antiochus 
Callinicus, two sons of Callinicus undertook to 
regain the lost territory, and to redeem the 
honor of their father. The first was weak and 
inefficient ; the younger, Antiochus Magnus, 
who took the throne in the course of a few 
years, was stronger. He is the " one " who ad- 
vanced speedily, regaining much of the lost ter- 
ritory. 

About the time of the accession of Antiochus 
Magnus to the Syrian throne, Ptolemy Philop- 
ater took the throne in Egypt. He manifested 
no disposition to invade the territory of the king 
of the north, being indolent, and a great lover 



7. But out of a branch of her 
roots shall one stand up in his 
estate, which will come with an 
army, and shall enter into the 
fortress of the king of the north, 
and shall deal against them, and 
shall prevail. 



8. And shall also carry captives 
into Egypt their gods, with their 
princes, and with their precious 
vessels of silver and of gold : and 
he shall continue more years than 
the king of the north. 

Dan. 11 : 7, 8. 

Yet I am the Lord thy God from 
the land of Egypt, and thou shalt 
know no god but me : for there is 
no Saviour beside me . 

Hosea 13 :4. 

9. So the king of the south shall 
come into his kingdom, and shall 
return into his own land. 

Dan. 11:9. 



Prov. 27 : 4. 
Amos 3 : 9, 10. 



10. But his sons shall be stirred 
up, and assemble a multitude of 
great forces : and one shall cer- 
tainly come, and overflow, and 
pass through : then shall he re- 
turn, and be stirred up, even to 
his fortress. 

11. And the king of the south 
shall be moved with choler, and 
shall come forth and fight with 
him, even with the king of the 
north : and he shall set forth a 
great multitude : but the multi- 
tude shall be given into his hand. 

12. And when he hath taken 
away the multitude, his heart 
shall be lifted up; and he shall 
cast down many ten thousands: 
but he shall not be strengthened 
by it. Dan. 11 : 10-12. 



222 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



Now the Egyptians are men, and 
not God ; and their horses flesh, 
and not 'spirit. When the Lord 
shall stretch out his hand, both he 
that helpeth shall fall, and he that 
is holpen shall fall down, and they 
all shall fail together. 

Isa. 31:3. 



Every man is brutish by his 
knowledge ; every founder is con- 
founded by the graven image : for 
his moulten image is falsehood, and 
there is no breath in them. They 
are vanity, the work of errors : in 
the time of their visitation they 
shall perish. Jer. 51 : 17, 18. 

2 Chron. 26 : 16-23. 



Woe to the rebellious children, 
saith the Lord, that take counsel, 
but not of me ; and that cover with 
a covering, but not of my spirit, 
that they may add sin to sin : that 
walk to go down into Egypt, . . . 
therefore shall the strength of Pha- 
roah be your shame, and the trust 
in the shadow of Egypt your con- 
fusion. Isa. 30 : 1-3. 



Woe to them that go down to 
£gypt for help ; and stay on 
horses, and trust in chariots, be- 
cause they are many ; and in horse- 
men, because they are very strong ; 
but they look not unto the Holy 
One of Israel, neither seek the 
Lord ! Yet he also is wise, and 
will bring evil, and will not call 
back his words : but will arise 
against the house of the evildoers, 
and against the help of them that 
work iniquity. Isa. 31:1,2. 



of luxury and ease, but he was aroused by the 
prospects of an invasion of Egypt, his own 
throne being threatened by Antiochus Magnus. 
Antiochus was supported by an immense army, 
but it fell into the hands of Ptolemy Philopater, 
who, elated by his victory, returned to his capi- 
tal to feast. Although he had cast down ten 
thousand soldiers, yet he did not profit by the 
victory. Nothing was gained ; it was but a 
merciless slaughter of human beings a contest 
for brute supremacy, which is hateful in the 
sight of God and man. The difference is strik- 
ing between such warfare and the progress of 
the mighty generals whom God used to establish 
kingdoms and punish kings. 

Ptolemy Philopater did even worse things, for 
in self-esteem he entered Jerusalem, and at- 
tempted to profane the temple by himself offer- 
ing sacrifice. The restraint offered by the 
priests so incensed him that he began war 
against them, and history states that between 
forty and sixty thousand Jews, who then lived 
in Egypt, fell by the sword. Those Jews who 
had sought Egypt either for protection or for 
the advantages of her schools and libraries^ 
withdrew from the sheltering hand of their 
God, and the time came when they felt the 
wrath of the enemy. Through all these strug- 
gles the nation whom God had chosen might 
have stood as a beacon on a hill, instead of 
being trampled upon by every army in its 
marches between Egypt and Syria. Nay, more, 
the location of the Jews in Palestine and her 
capital was by divine appointment. They were 
at the gateway of the nations, and might have 
held the balance of power. Had they held aloft 



THE HISTORY OF GREECE. 



223 




IHoIemy entered Jerusalem, and 
attempted to profane the temple by 
himself offering sacrifice. 

the word of God, all nations 

would have bowed before 

their kings and paid tribute 

into their treasury. It was so 

in the days of Solomon ; it ~-^- 

might have been repeated in the days of Greek 

history. 

Alexander's act of reverence when he met the 
company of priests at Jerusalem should have 
been an object lesson to all Judea of what God 
by His Spirit would cause all nations to do. 
But so blinded by Greek teaching were those 
Jewish leaders, even at that time, that they failed 
to see this. Instead of flocking to Alexandria for 
the wisdom of Greece, nations should have sent 
their youth to schools of the prophets at Jeru- 
salem, and scholars of the world should have 
sought wisdom from those who knew the God. 



Nevertheless God did not choose 
the i)eople for the place's sake, but 
the place for the people's sake. 
2 Maccabees 5 : ig. 



Deut. 28 : n, 12. 

God gave Solomon wisdom and 
understanding exceeding much, and 
largeness of heart, even as the sand 
that is on the sea shore. And Sol- 
omon's wisdom excelled the wis- 
dom of all the children of the east 
country, and all the wisdom of 
Egypt. For he was wiser than all 
men : than Ethan the Ezrahite, and 



224 



STORY ON DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



Heman, and Chalcol, and Darda, 
the sons of Mahol : and his fame 
was in all nations round about. 
And he spake three thousand prov- 
erbs ; and his songs were a thou- 
sand and five. And he spake of 
trees, from the cedar tree that is in 
Lebanon even unto the hyssop that 
springeth out of the wall : he spake 
also of beasts, and of fowl, and of 
creeping things, and of fishes. And 
there came of all people to hear the 
wisdom of Solomon, from all kings 
of the earth, which had heard of 
his wisdom. i Kings 4 : 29-34. 

2 Tim. 4:3, 4. 

13. For the king of the north 
shall return, and shall set forth 
a multitude greater than the for- 
mer, and shall certainly come 
after certain years with a great 
army and with much riches. 

Dan. 11:13. 

In those times there shall many 
stand up against the king of the 
south : also the robbers of thy peo- 
ple shall exalt themselves to estab- 
lish the vision ; but they shall fall. 
Dan. II : 14. 



The time will come when they 
will not endure sound doctrine ; 
but after their own lusts shall they 
heap to themselves teachers, hav- 
ing itching ears ; and they shall 
turn away their ears from the truth, 
and shall be turned unto fables. 
2 Tim. 4:3,4. 

As concerning the rest of the 
beasts, they had their dominion 
taken away : yet their lives were 
prolonged for a season and time. 
Dan. 7 : 12. 

Now go, write it before them in 
a table, and note it in a book, that 
it may be for the time to come for- 
ever and ever : that this is a rebel- 
lious people, lying children, chil- 
dren that will not hear the law of 
the Lord : which say to the seers, 
See not ; and to the prophets. 
Prophesy not unto us right things, 
speak unto us smooth things, 
prophesy deceits. Isa. 30 ; 8-10. 



of wisdom. But it was not so. Israel then was 
as the church of to-day. Instead of leading by 
virtue of the spiritual life, she sought the wis- 
dom of Egypt and Greece. 

Peace was finally concluded between Philo- 
pater and Antiochus Magnus, which lasted four- 
teen years, until the death of Ptolemy. Ptolemy 
Philopater was succeeded by his son Ptolemy 
Epiphanes, who was in his minority. Anti- 
ochus Magnus took advantage of this seeming 
weakness in Egyptian affairs, and made exten- 
sive preparations to invade Egypt with the de- 
sign of conquering the entire dominion of the 
Ptolemies. But the Most High ruleth in the 
kingdoms of men, and Antiochus was brought 
to realize that there was another power on earth 
as well as in heaven. 

In the fourteenth verse the voice of the 
fourth beast is heard ; Rome placed itself on 
the side of the helpless king, and Antiochus 
found his ambition thwarted. The life of 
the Greek kingdom was spent. There were 
still many years of struggle, but it was 
a struggle for existence, not for added ter- 
ritory. But what Greece would not gain in 
territory she did gain as a teacher of nations, 
and although she finally lost all territorial su- 
premacy, though, like the kingdom of Nebuchad- 
nezzar, the tree was cut down, yet the roots 
remain unto this day. More than once, as an 
intellectual power, has Greece arisen. Through- 
out the intellectual world she has votaries bow- 
ing before her shrine — the mind of man. Her 
philosophy is to-day studied under the guise of 
modem writers ; her ideas are instilled into the 
minds of children, from the kindergarten to the 



THE HISTORY OF GREECE. 



209 



The angel said, "When I am gone forth 
[from Persia], lo, the' prince of Grecia shall 
come." And of Greece, he says, "A mighty 
king shall stand up, that shall rule with great 
dominion, and do according to his will." It is 
in this language that Alexander is introduced in 
the divine records. He was not a Greek, but a 
Macedonian, the son of Philip of Macedon. 
He stands in history as one of those strong 
characters whom God uses in spite of the fact 
that, they are unacquainted with Him, and 



The most High ruleth in the 
kingdom of men , and giveth it to 
whomsoever he will. 

Dan. 4 :32. 

Therefore the he goat waxed very 
great. Dan. 8 : 8. 



I have even called thee by thy 
name: I have surnamed thee, 
though thou hast not known me. 
I am the Lord, and there is none 
else, there is no God beside me : I 
girded thee, though thou hast not 
known me. Isa. 45 : 4, 5. 




Hie tree of the linotu- 
ledge 0/ good 
and evil, tKou ^talt 
not eailof it 



<3fctv^J7 




Jehovah God gave commandment 
unto the man, saying : Of every 
of the trees of the garden eating 
thou mayest eat : But of the tree of 
the knowledge of good and evil 
thou shalt not eat of it, for on the 
day thou eatest thereof, dying thou 
shalt die. 

Gen. 2 : 16, 17 [Spurrell's trans.] 

Jehovah God layeth a charge on 
the man, saying, Of every tree of 
the garden eating thou dost eat ; 
and of the tree of knowledge of 
good and evil, thou dost not eat of 
it, for in the day of thine eating of 
it — dying thou dost die. 

Gen. 2 : 16, 17 [Young's trans.] 



know not His manner of working. Alexander, 
ill Greek history, corresponds in some ways to 
Cyrus the Persian. 

Alexander, as a boy, showed an indomitable 
will, and as he grew to manhood the trait 
strengthened. He was educated by Aristotle, 
the illustrious pupil of Plato, in the wisdom of 
the Greeks. When twenty years of age, Philip 
of Macedon died, leaving the government to 
Alexander. This was the year 336 b. c. 
Alexander united the independent states of toothers 
14 



Even a child is known by his 
doings, whether his work be pure, 
and whether it be right. 

Prov. 20 : II. 



He seeth that wise men die, like- 
wise the fool and the brutish per- 
son perish, and leave their wealth 
Ps. 49 : 10. 



2IO 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



After this I beheld, and lo an- 
other, like a leopard, which had 
upon the back of it four wings of a 
fowl ; the beast had also four 
heads : and dominion was given 
to it. Dan. 7 : 6. 

A leopard shall watch over their 
cities : every one that goeth out 
thence shall be torn in pieces. 

Jer. 5:6. 



A leopard by the way will I 
observe them. Hosea 13:7. 



Can the Ethiopian change his 
skin, or the leopard his spots? then 
may ye also do good, that are ac- 
customed to do evil. 

Jer. 13 :23. 



I turned myself to behold wis- 
dom, and madness, and folly. Then 
I saw that wisdom excelleth folly, 
as far as light excelleth darkness. 
Eccl. 2 ; 12, 13. 

As I was considering, behold, an 
he goat came from the west on the 
face of the whole earth, and none 
touched him in the earth. And the 
goat had a notable horn between 
his eyes. Dan. 8 : 5 [margin]. 



Another third kingdom of brass, 
which shall bear rule over all the 
earth. Dan. 2 :39. 



Therefore the he goat waxed very 
great : and when he was strong, the 
great horn was broken. 

Dan. 8:8. 



Greece, and placed himself at the head of their 
amphictyonic council. The Greeks were ambi- 
tious, and the new general organized an army for 
foreign conquest. 

The third kingdom was represented by a leop- 
ard with four wings on its back. This symbol 
covered the time not only that Alexander was 
king, but during its divided state as well. The 
swiftness of conquest is well represented by the 
wings of a fowl ; the cunning, insinuating nature 
by the lithe form of the leopard ; and the min- 
gling together of truth and error in its doctrines 
and practices by the spots. " Can the leopard 
change his spots .? " No more could Greece give 
truth without a portion of the false; no more 
can truth and error be separated in that system 
of education founded upon the wisdom of the 
Greeks — her philosophy, her myths, and her 
nature teaching. 

Again Daniel saw the progress of this third 
nation, as a rough goat coming from the west 
without touching the earth. This marks the 
rapidity of the conquests carried on by Alexan- 
der. It was Granicus, Asia Minor, Issus, Tyre, 
Gaza, with the surrender of all Egypt ; Arbela, 
Babylon, Susa, Bactria, and India — all in the 
space of eight short years. Having conquered 
those who opposed him, he planned to unite the 
extensive territory over which he bore sway. 
He was an organizer and diplomat as well as a 
general. By marrying a princess of Babylon, 
and giving several members of the royal family 
of Persia in marriage to his generals, he sought 
to win the favor of the conquered races. It was 
while in Babylon, directing affairs in that an- 
cient Eastern capital, that Alexander died, prob- 



THE HISTORY OF GREECE. 



211 



ably as a result of intemperance and excess. 
He was still a young man, but the nations of 
the world bowed at his feet. 

In following the rapid conquests of Alexan- 
der, — symbolized by the goat which touched 
not the ground, — no mention has been made of 
the Jews. As God brought Nebuchadnezzar 
and Cyrus in direct contact with His people, 
that they might know the God of heaven, so He 
permitted Alexander to learn of Him. While 
that conqueror was passing from Tyre, after its 
surrender, toward Gaza, which guards the en- 
trance into Egypt, he stopped at Jerusalem. 
Josephus states that great consternation filled 
the city when it was known that the Greek war- 
rior was coming. But the high priest, Juddas, 
had a dream in which he was bidden to go out 
to meet Alexander, arrayed in his priestly gar- 
ments, and accompanied by the temple officers 
clad in white. 

When Alexander met this company, much to 
the surprise of his army and generals, he bowed 
to the ground to worship the God whose name 
was on the miter worn by the high priest. He 
then accompanied the high priest to the temple 
at Jerusalem, where the sacrifices were ex- 
plained ; also the prophecies of Daniel concern- 
ing the rise and fall of Babylon, the conquests 
of Medo- Persia and its subsequent fall, and the 
rise of a third empire. Daniel, who had in 
person witnessed before Nebuchadnezzar and 
Cyrus, was then quoted to Alexander. The 
mighty conqueror was in the presence of the 
Spirit of God, and was given the message that 
the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, 
and giveth it to whomsoever he will. Would he 



He that hath no rule over his 
own spirit is like a city that is 
broken down, and without wails. 
Prov. 25 : 28. 

Wine is a mocker, strong drink is 
raging ; and whosoever is deceived 
thereby is not wise. 

Prov. 20 : 1. 

The Gentiles shall come to thy 
light, and kings to the brightness 
of thy rising. Isa. 60 : 3. 



Arise, O Lord, disappoint him, 
cast him down : deliver my soul 
from the wicked, which is thy 
. sword : from men which are thy 
hand, O Lord, from nien of the 
world, which have their portion in 
this life, and whose belly thou 
fillest with thy hid treasure, 

Ps. 17:13. 14. 

Thou shalt make holy garments 
for Aaron thy brother for glory 
and for beauty. Ex. 28 : 2. 



Kings shall be thy nursing fa- 
thers, and their queens thy nursing 
mothers : they shall bow down to 
thee with their face toward the 
earth, and lick up the dust of thy 
feet : and thou shalt know that I 
am the Lord : for they shall not be 
ashamed that wait for me . 

Isa. 49 :23. 

Dan. 2 : 3 1-39. 
Dan. 8 : 3-8. 
Dan. 8 :20, 21, 
Dan. 1 1 : 2-4. 

He shall break in pieces mighty 
men without number, and set oth- 
ers in their stead. Job 34 : 24. 



Dan. 



4:32. 



Behold, I stand at the door, and 
knock : if any man hear my voice, 
and open the door, I will come m 
to him, and will sup with him, and 
he with me. Rev. 3 :2o. 



212 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 




Alexander bowed to the ground to worship the 

God whose name was on the miter worn by the high priest. 



Behold, what manner of love the 
Father hath bestowed upon us, that 
we should be called the sons of 
God. I John 3 :i, 2. 



Who changed the truth of God 
into a lie, and worshiped and 
served the creature more than the 
Creator, who is blessed forever. 
Amen. Rom. i -.25. 



All are of the dust, and all turn 
to dust again. Eccl. 3 ; 18-20. 



bow in submission, and let God conquer for 
him ? This was the opportune moment in his 
life. 

Alexander acknowledged God, but left Jeru- 
salem and pushed forward in battle. Gaza fell. 
Egypt was entered, and there, in order to gratify 
a selfish pride, he had himself proclaimed son of 
Jupiter Ammon. He who might have become 
a son of God chose rather to be called the son 
of Jupiter. The result of Greek education and 
learning is fully exemplified in this one act. 
The outcome of such a choice — a fit consum- 
mation of all Greek teaching — was met at 
Babylon when the king, at his very prime, laid 



THE HISTORY OF GREECE. 



213 



down and died with no hope of the future. It 
is a sad but impressive commentary for those 
who seek the ways of the world in preference 
to the truths of God. 

One thing which the inspired historian notes, 
is, that he would do ** according to his will." 
When man makes such a resolution, it means 
that he has been offered a choice between God 
and Satan, and has chosen the latter. There 
are but two minds in the universe, and he who 
rejects God may claim that he exercises his own 
mind, but it means that he is swayed by the 
mind of the enemy of God. " Let this mind 
be in you which was also in Christ Jesus," for 
it brings liberty. The spirit which wishes to 
exalt self is imitating the philosophy of the 
Greeks, and its result is death ; for Greek phil- 
osophy is but a continuation of the philosophy 
used to deceive Adam and Eve in Eden, at the 
tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 

Alexander left no heirs to the throne who 
could hold the reins of government. His eldest 
son was a child of five. A number of strong 
men had acted as generals of the army during 
the march through Asia, and on the death of 
the emperor eight of these contended for su- 
premacy. None, however, were strong enough 
to subdue all the others. Nearly twenty years 
were spent in war and contention. Finally it 
was decided that Ptolemy should hold Egypt ; 
Seleucus Syria and the east ; Lysimachus 
Thrace and Asia Minor, and Cassander Greece. 
The territory of Alexander was divided, but 
"not to his posterity ; " neither was the strength 
of these four equal to that of Alexander, and 
the four partitions lasted but a few years. 



He that is of the earth is earthly. 
Johns :3i. 



S. And a mighty king shall stand 
up, that shall rule with great 
dominion, and do according to his 
will. Dan. 71 : 3. 



this day whom ye 
Joshua 24 : 13. 



Choose you 
will serve. 

2 Cor. 4 :4. 
Eph. 2 : 2, 3. 
Phil. 2 : 5. 
Matt. 12 :3o. 



If the son therefore shall make 
you free, ye shall be free indeed. 
John 8 : 36. 



I fear, lest by any means, as the 
serpent beguiled Eve through his 
subtility, so your minds should be 
corrupted from the simplicity that 
is in Christ. 2 Cor. 11 13. 



Behold, the eyes of the Lord 
God are upon the sinful kingdom, 
and I will destroy it from off the 
face of the earth. Amos 9 : 8. 



4. And when he shall stand up, 
his kingdom shall be broken, and 
shall be divided toward the four 
winds of heaven ; and not to his 
posterity, nor according to his 
dominion which he ruled ; for his 
kingdom shall be plucked up, even 
for others beside those. 

Dan. Hi 4, 



Therefore the he goat waxed 
very great : and when he was 
strong, the great horn was broken ; 
and for it came up four notable 
ones towards the four winds of 
heaven. Dan. 8; 8. 



214 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



5. And the king of the south 
shall be strong, and one of his 
princes; and he shall be strong 
above him, and have dominion; 
his dominion shall be a great 
dominion. Dan. 11:6. 

Hab, 2 : 5-7. 

He leadeth counselors away 
spoiled, and maketli the judges 
fools. He looseth the bond of 
kings, and girdeth their loins with 
a girdle. He leadeth princes away 
spoiled, and overthroweth the 
mighty. Job 12 : 17-19. 

When they went from one nation 
to another, from one kingdom to 
another people, he suffered no man 
to do them wrong : yea, he re- 
proved kings for their sakes. 

Ps. 105 : 13, 14. 

God is known in her palaces for 
a refuge. For, lo, the kings were 
assembled, they passed by together. 
They saw it, and so they marveled : 
they were troubled, and hasted 
away. Ps. 48 13-5. 



Another third kingdom of brass, 
which shall bear rule over all the 
earth. Dan. 2 : 39. 



I Maccabees i : 28, 
I Maccabees i : 39-46. 



The daughter of Egypt shall be 
confounded : she shall be delivered 
into the hand of the people of the 
north. The Lord of hosts, the God 
of Israel, saith ; Behold, I will 
punish the multitude of No, and 
Pharaoh, and Egypt, with their 
gods, and their kings ; even Pha- 
raoh and all them that trust in him. 
Jer. 46 ; 24, 25. 



Greece, which was under the rule of Cassan- 
der, was taken by Lysimachus, thus uniting the 
western and northern divisions. 

In 281 B. c, after intrigues too numerous to 
mention, Seleucus met Lysimachus and slew 
him in battle. This reduced the four divisions 
to two, the rulers of which were afterward dis- 
tinguished as kings of the north and the south. 
Seleucus, the king of the north, now held ter- 
ritory which had formerly belonged to three 
generals, while Ptolemy retained the southern 
division. This agrees with the words of Ga- 
briel to Daniel. The fifth verse, according to 
Spurrell, reads: "Then shall the king of the 
south, even one of his [Alexander's] princes, 
be strong; yet shall another exceed him in 
strength and have dominion; a grand domin- 
ion shall be his dominion.' 

The Ptolemy who gained Egypt was sur- 
named Soter, or Saviour, and on his death he 
was succeeded by his son, Ptolemy Philadelphus. 
The Seleucus who gained the three divisions 
was succeeded by his son Antiochus Sotor, who 
was killed by the Gauls in Asia Minor. The 
third in the line of Greco-Syriac kings was An- 
tiochus Theos, who was reigning in Syria while 
Ptolemy Philadelphus reigned on the Egyptian 
throne. 

There is, however, something aside from the 
mere succession of kings which is worthy of 
notice. Gabriel gave Daniel the framework of 
the history of Greece. We have in the inspired 
record something which corresponds to the skel- 
eton in the human body, and the flesh and or- 
gans of life need to be put in. These nations 
which were then in existence were a shelter. 



THE HISTORY OF GREECE 



215 



perhaps, a scaffolding, built about God's people, 
offering them another opportunity to work. 
The Spirit of God was working in the courts 
of monarchs as faithfully as ever. At the same 
time the controversy between truth and error 
never for a moment abated. 

It might seem to the casual observer that 
Greece was not in reality a ruling power in the 
sense that Babylon and Medo-Persia were uni- 
versal monarchies. Let us see. From the first 
it has been noted that Greece was an intellect- 
ual ruler rather than a power which held the 
bodies of men in slavery. If we may person- 
ify Greek intellect in ^^ an abstract way, 




He went to the king, not to be 
an accuser of his countrymen, but 
seeking the good of all, both pub- 
lic and private : for he saw that it 
was impossible that the state 
should continue quiet, and Simon 
leave his folly, unless the king did 
look thereunto. But after the death 
of Seleucus, when Antiochus , called 
Epiphanes, took the kingdom, Ja- 
son, the brother of Onias labored 
underhand to be high priest, prom- 
ising unto the king by intercession 
three hundred and threescore tal- 
ents of silver, and of another reve- 
nue eighty talents : beside this, he 
promised to assign an hundred and 
fifty more, if he might have license 
to set him up a place for exercise, 
and for the training up of youth in 
the fashions of the heathen, and to 
write them of Jerusalem by the 



^rteholdeth all hiQh 
tKiWb^: He x^ a king^over 
allAli^Hd^ of pride. 



we may say that Alexander was the tool in 
God's hand for building up a kingdom 
where it might hold sway. Alexander did 
this work well; and while he individu- 
ally fell, the Greek language, learningj and 
customs were introduced into all countries 
where his arms had opened the way. The 
Greek religion, with its mysteries, was accepted 
in Syria and Asia Minor; Greek games were 
celebrated in the eastern provinces. But Greek 
education took a position ahead even of her reli- 
gion, and Greek teachers and scholars followed 
in the wake of the conqueror. The Greek lan- 
guage was almost universally used, and Greek 



name of Antiochians. Which 
when the king had granted, and he 
had gotten into his hand the rule, 
he forthwith brought his own 
nation to the Greekish fashion. 
. . . For he built gladly a place 
of exercise under the tower itself, 
and brought the chief young men 
under his subjection, and made 
them wear a hat. Now such was 
the height of Greek fashions, and 
increase of heathenish manners, 
through the exceeding profaneness 
of Jason, that ungodly wretch, and 
no high priest, that the priests had 
no courage to serve any more at the 
altar ; but despising the temple, 
and neglecting the sacrifices, has- 
tened to be partakers of the unlaw- 
ful allowance in the place of exer- 
cise, after the game of Discus 
called them forth ; not setting by 



2l6 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



the honors of their fathers, but 
liking the glory of the Grecians 
best of all. By reason whereof 
sore calamity came upon them : for 
they had them to be their enemies 
and avengers, whose custom they 
followed so earnestly, and unto 
whom they desired to be like in all 
things. 2 Maccabees 4 : 5-16. 



Mischief shall come upon mis- 
chief, and rumor shall be upon ru- 
mor : then shall they seek a vision 
of the proph"*: ; but the law shall 
perish from the priest, and counsel 
from the ancients. Eze. 7 : 26. 



Her gates are sunk into the 
ground ; he hath destroyed and 
broken her bars ; her king and her 
princes are among the Gentiles : 
the law is no more; her prophets 
also find no vision from the Lord. 
Lam. 2 : 9. 



Where there is no vision, the 
people perish ; but he that keepeth 
he law, happy is he. 

Prov. 29 : 18. 



Take heed to thyself that thou be 
not snared by following them, after 



books were in demand. The city of Alexandria, 
in Egypt, was founded by Alexander, and it be- 
came the center of Greek learning. Egyptian 
idolatry and Greek philosophy sat enthroned 
beside each other. As the Encyclopedia Britan- 
nica states it, " In Egypt a Greek aristocracy of 
office, birth, and intellect existed side by side 
with a distinct native life." 

Israel had once been miraculously delivered 
from physical bondage in Egypt. They had 
been warned against fleeing to Egypt for pro- 
tection in the days of Nebuchadnezzar at the 
siege of Jerusalem. They may have escaped 
the bondage of those earlier times, but they 
were captured by the learning of the Greeks. 
In the days of Ptolemy Soter, hosts of Jews 
flocked into Egypt, and those who remained 
in Jerusalem and Palestine imbibed many of 
the ideas of the Greeks. 

It has been stated that the history of Greece 
fills the time between the prophecy of Malachi 
and John the Baptist. We are now ready to 
appreciate the reason why Israel was so long 
without the sound of a prophet's voice. God 
gave Israel a system of education separate and 
distinct from the systems of all other nations ; a 
system which, if followed, would forever make 
it impossible for the people to go into captivity. 
But Israel often gave up her God-given system 
for the teaching of heathen nations. 

When the Jews returned from Babylon, they 
were strongly tinctured with Babylonian ideas 
of education and religion. This prepared them 
to accept with readiness the teachings of the 
Greeks. The rabbis of Jerusalem mingled the 
principles of Greek philosophy so thoroughly 




Priests watching Grecian games. 



THE HISTORY OF GREECE. 



217 



with the statutes of Jehovah, which they were 
commanded to teach the children, that from the 
death of Malachi to the birth of John the Bap- 
tist there was not a family in Judah to whom 
the education of a prophet could be intrusted. 
The Greek games were performed in Jerusa- 
lem itself, and Jewish youth, dressed only in 
the scarf and broad hat, in imitation of the god 
Hermes, wrestled like the Athenian athletes 
It IS stated by Dr. Hears that the priests, when 
the signal was given for the sports, left their 
work in the temple to watch the games. Greek 
names replaced the Jewish in many instances, 
and even priests intermarried with the Greeks. 
It is no wonder that Gabriel gave specific in- 
struction concerning the name to be given the 
babe of Zacharias and Elizabeth, for although 
there was once a time when every chHd in Is- 
rael was named under the inspiration of the 
Spirit, the Israelites had now chosen Greece in 
the place of God. 

The whole Jewish teaching was Hellenized ; 
and when John the Baptist was born, his mother 
and father were commanded to leave the city of 
Jerusalem, and educate the child in the desert 
away from the influence of the schools and the 
society of the Jews. Christ himself never en- 
tered the schools of His day, because of the 
mixture of the truth of God with heathen phil- 
osophy. Greek teaching exalted nature; but 
the Son of God could not hear the voice of the 
Father in the teachings of the schools, and He 
wandered through the woods alone, or in com- 
pany with His mother. Then it was that na- 
ture, the great object lesson of the Creator, 
was opened to His expanding mind. Other 



that they be destroyed from before 
thee ; and that thou inquire not 
after their gods, saying, How did 
these nations serve their gods? 
even so will I do likewise. 

Deut. 12 :3o. 

Not long after this the king sent 
an old man of Athens to compel 
the Jews to depart from the laws of 
their fathers, and not to live after 
the laws of God ; and to pollute 
also the temple in Jerusalem, and 
to call it the temple of Jupiter 
Olympus: the coming in of this 
mischief was sore and grievous to 
the people: for the temple was 
filled with riot and reveling by the 
Gentiles, who dallied with harlots, 
and had to do with women within 
the circuit of the holy places, and 
besides that brought in things that 
were not lawful. 

2 Maccabees 6 : 1-4. 

Thou shalt call, his name John. 
Luke I : 13, 15, 63. 



The child grew, and waxed 
strong in spirit, and was in the 
deserts till the day of his showing 
unto Israel. Luke i : 80. 

In those days came John the 
Baptist, preaching in the wilder- 
ness of Judea. Matt. 3:1. 

The Jews marveled, saying, How 
knoweth this man letters, having 
never learned? Jesus answered 
^them, and said. My doctrine is not 
mine, but his that sent me. 

John 7 : 15, 16. 



Then stood there up one in the 
council, a Pharisee, named Gama- 
liel, a doctor of the law, had in 
reputation among all the people, 
and commanded to put the apos- 
tles forth a little space. 

Acts 5 : 34. 



2l8 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



I am verily a man which am a 
Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cil- 
icia, yet brought up in this city at 
the feet of Gamaliel, and taught 
according to the perfect manner of 
the law of the fathers, and was 
zealous toward God, as ye all are 
this day. Acts 22 : 3. 

Ex. 14: 13. 

Even his eternal power and God- 
head ; so that they are without ex- 
cuse ■ because that, when they 
knew God, they glorified him not 
as God, neither were thankful ; but 
became vain in their imaginations, 
and their foolish heart was dark- 
ened. Professing themselves to be 
wise, they became fools. 

Rom. I : 20-22. 



But T would ye should under- 
stand, brethren, that the things 
which happened unto me have 
fallen out rather unto the further- 
ance of the gospel. So that my 
bonds in Christ are manifest in all 
the palace, and in all other places. 
Phil, 1 : 12, 13. 



2 Cor. ID '.4, 5. 



I will also give thee for a light 
to the Gentiles, that thou mayst be 
my salvation unto the end of the 
earth. Isa. 49 :6, 



All the Athenians and strangers 
which were there spent their time 
in nothing else, but either to tell, 
or to hear some new thing. 

Acts 17 :2i. 



The Jews require a sign, and the 
Greeks seek after wisdom : but we 
preach Christ crucified, unto the 
Jews a stumbling block, and unto 



Jewish youth sat at the feet of the rabbis, learn- 
ing what the spirit of the Greeks taught, and 
they crucified the Lord of life. 

It is a wonderful thing to man, who is so lim- 
ited in means, to watch the workings of God, 
who is so limitless in resources. When the 
Jews fled to Egypt,^then God took advantage of 
their presence there, and turned it to His glory. 
Ptolemy Philadelphus founded the Alexandrian 
Library, and it was he who encouraged the 
translation of the Old Testament into Greek. 
Thus the prophecies concerning the promised 
Messiah were put into the universal lan- 
guage nearly three hundred years before the 
birth of Christ. The world might become in- 
toxicated with the Greek philosophy, but God 
left man without excuse by placing the word of 
life in the household tongue of the nations. 
Satan may scheme, and his agents on earth may 
be wise, but they can do nothing against the 
truth without in that very act promoting the 
truth. While the dark wings of paganism were 
drawing closer , and closer about the world, to 
shut out if possible the light of heaven, the 
word of God, as a lighted candle, was shin- 
ing under that darkness, and proclaiming the 
advent of the Desire of all ages. 

The first verses in the history of Greece 
(Dan. II : 3-5) bring the student face to face 
with that country as an intellectual power, and 
reveal the secret of her strength to be in her 
language and philosophy. She conquered the 
world by bringing all minds under her control. 
It was the plan of the enemy of truth to sub- 
jugate minds to a false philosophy; and since 
this was the scheme upon which he worked in 



THE HISTORY OF GREECE. 



219 



Greece, it was under this same national influ- 
ence that the truth which frees the mind was 
given to the world. How far-reaching, then, 
were the purposes of God. 

Another great principle lies side by side with 
the one given in those first verses. This sec- 
ond, which is hidden in verses six to thirteen, 
has to do with the working out of those same 
principles through the government as a chan- 
nel. The kingdom of Alexander resolved itself 
into two divisions, a northern and a southern. 
Both were Hellenized, but the northern repre- 
sented more truly the Greek principles, while 
the southern division was strongly tinctured 
with the old Egyptian ideas of both govern- 
ment and religion. It was the northern divi- 
sion which carried forward the work of the 
prophecy as symbolized by the leopard and 
the rough goat, and it was from the northern 
division that the little horn of Daniel eight 
proceeded. Consequently it must be right to 
conclude that it is the Greco-Syriac division, 
rather than the Egyptian division, that will do 
the work of which Alexander was the forerun- 
ner. Nevertheless there will be throughout the 
ages until the end of time a strength rising from 
the south and opposing the northern power. 
This will again be seen in the Mohammedan 
work of the Middle Ages during the supremacy 
of the fourth beast. But we must watch the 
working out of the principle during the life of 
the third kingdom, as that is introductory in 
itself to the future work. 

History reveals the fact that the greatest 
strength in government is found in those powers 
whose territory extends from east to west, and 



the Greeks foolishness. But unto 
them which are called, both Jews 
and Greeks, Christ the power of 
God, and the wisdom of God. Be- 
cause the foolishness of God is 
wiser than men ; and the weakness 
of God is stronger than men. 

I Cor. I : 22-25. 
Dan. II : 6-13. 

The king of the south shall be 
strong, and one of his princes ; and 
he shall be strong above him, and 
have dominion ; his dominion shall 
be a great dominion. 

Dan. 11:5. 



Out of one of them came forth a 
little horn, which waxed exceeding 
great, toward the south ; and to- 
ward the east, and toward the 
pleasant land. Dan. 8 :g. 



Thou art of purer eyes than to 
behold evil, and canst not look on 
iniquity : wherefore lookest thou 
upon them that deal treacherously, 
and boldest thy tongue when the 
wicked devoureth the man that is 
more righteous than he ? And 
makest men as the fishes of the 
sea, as the creeping things, that 
have no ruler over them? They 
take up all of them with the angle, 
they catch them in their net, and 
gather them in their drag : there- 
fore they rejoice and are glad. 

Hab. I : 13-16. 



Rev. 9 : 1-2 1. 



I say unto you, That many shall 
come from the east and west, and 
shall sit down with Abraham, and 
Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom 
of heaven. Matt. 8:11. 



220 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



Out of the south cometh the 
whirlwind : and cold out of the 
north. . . . Fair weather cometh 
out of the north. Job 37 : 9, 22. 



I saw the beast, and the kings of 
the earth, and their armies, gath- 
ered together to make war against 
him that sat on the horse, and 
against his army. Rev. ig : iq. 

He gathered them together into 
a place called in the Hebrew tongue 
Armageddon. Rev. 16 : 16. 



6. And in the end of years they 
shall join themselves together; 
for the king's daughter of the 
south shall come to the king of the 
north to make an agreement : but 
she shall not retain the power of 
the arm : neither shall he stand, 
nor his arm : but she shall be given 
up, and they that brought her, 
and he that begat her, and he 
that strengthened her in these 
times. Dan. 11 : 6. 



They shall mingle themselves 
with the seed of men ; but they 
shall not cleave one to another, 
even as iron is not mixed with miry 
clay. Dan. 2 :43. 



I say unto you, Whosoever shall 
put away his wife, except it be for 
fornication, and shall marry an- 
other, committeth adultery : and 
whoso marrieth her which is put 
away doth commit adultery. 

Matt. 19 : 9. 

The curse of the Lord is in the 
house of the wicked : but he bless- 
eth the habitation of the just. 

Prov. 3 : 33. 

Jealousy is cruel as the grave : 
the coals thereof are coals of fire, 
which hath a most vehement flame. 
Son«^ of Sol. 8 : 6. 



that nations which try to govern territory ex- 
tending far to the north and the south have 
trouble. It is in recognition of this fact that 
each universal empire has progressed mainly 
from east to west, and each succeeding kingdom 
has gone farther to the west than the preceding 
one. This continues until the globe is encircled, 
and all the kings of the ^ earth finally meet in 
the great battle of Armageddon. 

In spite of this controlling principle among 
nations, and in face of the decree of the Holy 
Watcher, the north and the south attempted to 
unite. Worldly policy of intermarriage was fol- 
lowed, and as Spurrell renders verse 6, *' After 
some years they [the kings of the north and the 
south] shall be associated ; for the daughter of 
the king of the south [Berenice, daughter of 
Ptolemy Philadelphus] shall come to the king 
of the north [Antiochus Theos] to make agree- 
ments." Antiochus put away his lawful wife, 
Laodice, in order to marry Berenice, and the re- 
sults of this transgression of God's law are 
given by the pen of Inspiration: *'The arm 
shall not retain its strength, neither shall their 
offspring be established ; but she shall be given 
up, and her attendants, and her child, and 
her supporters at those times." Human pen 
can not make the history any plainer than did 
Gabriel in relating it to Daniel nearly two hun- 
dred years before it occurred. Berenice lost 
favor in the eyes of Antiochus Theos, who 
thereupon recalled Laodice. The jealous 
wife then caused Antiochus to be poisoned, 
and placed her own son on the throne. 
Through her influence, also, Berenice, her 
child by Antiochus, and her Egyptian atten- 



THE HISTORY OF GREECE. 



221 



dajits and supporters, were all murdered. 

This aroused the royal house of Egypt, and a 
brother of Berenice advanced into the territory 
of Antiochus with a large army. " He shall rule 
within the fortifications of the kings of the 
north, and shall war against them and shall pre- 
vail." Ptolemy Euergetes, son of Ptolemy Phil- 
adelphus, is here described. He not only in- 
vaded Syria, but went to Babylon, where he 
found some of the Egyptian gods and molten 
images which Cambyses had captured during 
his war in Egypt. These Ptolemy returned, 
and for this was named Euergetes (benefactor) 
by his grateful people. It is said that he car- 
ried to Egypt forty thousand talents of silver 
and many vessels of silver and gold. Ptolemy 
Euergetes then returned to his own kingdom, 
where he outlived Antiochus Callinicus, the son 
of Laodice. 

But trouble did not cease then. There was a 
natural jealousy and antipathy between the 
north and the south. Ptolemy Euergetes held 
much of Syria. On the death of Antiochus 
Callinicus, two sons of Callinicus undertook to 
regain the lost territory, and to redeem the 
honor of their father. The first was weak and 
inefficient ; the younger, Antiochus Magnus, 
who took the throne in the course of a few 
years, was stronger. He is the " one " who ad- 
vanced speedily, regaining much of the lost ter- 
ritory. 

About the time of the accession of Antiochus 
Magnus to the Syrian throne, Ptolemy Philop- 
ater took the throne in Egypt. He manifested 
no disposition to invade the territory of the king 
of the north, being indolent, and a great lover 



7. But out of a branch of her 
roots shall one stand up in his 
estate, which will come with an 
army, and shall enter into the 
fortress of the king of the north, 
and shall deal against them, and 
shall preuail. 



8, And shall also carry captives 
into Egypt their gods, with their 
princes, and with their precious 
vessels of silver and of gold : and 
he shall continue more years than 
the king of the north, 

Dan. 11 : 7, 8. 

Yet I am the Lord thy God from 
the land of Egypt, and thou shalt 
know no god but me : for there is 
no Saviour beside me. 

Hosea 13 :4. 

9. So the king of the south shall 
come into his kingdom, and shall 
return into his own land. 

Dan. 11:9. 



Prov. 27 : 4. 
Amos 3 : 9, 10. 



10. But his sons shalt be stirred 
up, and assemble a multitude of 
great forces : and one shall cer- 
tainly come, and overflow, and 
pass through : then shall he re- 
turn; and be stirred up, even to 
his fortress. 

11. And the king of the south 
shall be moved with choler, and 
shall come forth and fight with 
him, even with the king of the 
north : and he shall set forth a 
great multitude : but the multi- 
tude shall be given into his hand. 

12. And when he hath taken 
away the multitude, his heart 
shall be lifted up; and he shall 
cast down many ten thousands: 
but he shall not be strengthened 
by it. Dan. 11 ; 70-72. 



222 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



Now the Egyptians are men, and 
not God ; and their horses flesh, 
and not spirit. When the Lord 
shall stretch out his hand, both lie 
that helpeth shall fall, and he that 
is holpen shall fall down, and they 
all shall fail together. 

Isa. 31 :3. 



Every man is brutish by his 
knowledge ; every founder is con- 
founded by the graven image : for 
his moulten image is falsehood, and 
there is no breath in them. They 
are vanity, the work of errors : in 
the time of their visitation they 
shall perish. Jer. 51 : 17, 18. 

2 Chron. 26 : 16-23. 



Woe to the rebellious children, 
saith the Lord, that take counsel, 
but not of me ; and that cover with 
a covering, but not of my spirit, 
that they may add sin to sin : that 
walk to go down into Egypt, . . . 
therefore shall the strength of Pha- 
roah be your shame, and the trust 
in the shadow of Egypt your con- 
fusion. Isa. 30 : 1-3. 



Woe to them that go down to 
iCgypt for help; and stay on 
horses, and trust in chariots, be- 
cause they are many ; and in horse- 
men, because they are very strong ; 
but they look not unto the Holy 
One of Israel, neither seek the 
Lord I Yet he also is wise, and 
will bring evil, and will not call 
back his words : but will arise 
against the house of the evildoers, 
and against the help of them that 
work iniquity. Isa. 31:1,2. 



of luxury and ease, but he was aroused by the 
prospects of an invasion of Egypt, his own 
throne being threatened by Antiochus Magnus. 
Antiochus was supported by an immense army, 
but it fell into the hands of Ptolemy Philopater, 
who, elated by his victory, returned to his capi- 
tal to feast. Although he had cast down ten 
thousand soldiers, yet he did not profit by the 
victory. Nothing was gained '; it was but a 
merciless slaughter of human beings a contest 
for brute supremacy, which is hateful in the 
sight of God and man. The difference is strik- 
ing between such warfare and the progress of 
the mighty generals whom God used to establish 
kingdoms and punish kings. 

Ptolemy Philopater did even worse things, for 
in self-esteem he entered Jerusalem, and at- 
tempted to profane the temple by himself offer- 
ing sacrifice. The restraint offered by the 
priests so incensed him that he began war 
against them, and history states that between 
forty and sixty thousand Jews, who then lived 
in Egypt, fell by the sword. Those Jews who 
had sought Egypt either for protection or for 
the advantages of her schools and hbraries^ 
withdrew from the sheltering hand of their 
God, and the time came when they felt the 
wrath of the enemy. Through all these strug- 
gles the nation whom God had chosen might" 
have stood as a beacon on a hill, instead of 
being trampled upon by every army in its 
marches between Egypt and Syria. Nay, more, 
the location of the Jews in Palestine and her 
capital was by divine appointment. They were 
at the gateway of the nations, and might have 
held the balance of power. Had they held aloft 



THE HISTORY OF GREECE. 



223 




Ptolemy entered Jerusalem, and 
attempted to profane the temple by 
himself offering sacrifice. 

the word of God, all nations t 

would have bowed before 

their kings and paid tribute 

into their treasury. It was so 

in the days of Solomon ; it ^ ' 

might have been repeated in the days of Greek 

history. 

Alexander's act of reverence when he met the 
company of priests at Jerusalem should have 
been an object lesson to all Judea of what God 
by His Spirit would cause all nations to do. 
But so blinded by Greek teaching were those 
Jewish leaders, even at that time, that they failed 
to see this. Instead of flocking to Alexandria for 
the wisdom of Greece, nations should have sent 
their youth to schools of the prophets at Jeru- 
salem, and scholars of the world should have 
sought wisdom from those who knew the God 



Nevertheless God did not choose 
the j)eople for the place's sake, but 
the place for the people's sake. 
2 Maccabees 5 : ig. 



Deut. 28 : II, 12. 

God gave Solomon wisdom and 
understanding exceeding much, and 
largeness of heart, even as the sand 
that is on the sea shore. And Sol- 
omon's wisdom excelled the wis- 
dom of all the children of the east 
country, and all the wisdom of 
Egypt. For he was wiser than all 
men : than Ethan the Ezrahite, and 



224 



STORY ON DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



Heman, and Chalcol, and Darda, 
the sons of Mahol : and his fame 
was in all nations round about. 
And he spake three thousand prov- 
erbs ; and his songs were a thou- 
sand and five. And he spake of 
trees, from the cedar tree that is in 
Lebanon even unto the hyssop that 
springeth out of the wall : he spake 
alsQ of beasts, and of fowl, and of 
creeping things, and of fishes. And 
there came of all people to hear the 
wisdom of Solomon, from all kings 
of the earth, which had heard of 
his wisdom. i Kings 4 : 29-34. 

2 Tim. 4:3, 4. 

13. For the king of the north 
shall return, and shall set forth 
a multitude greater than the for- 
mer, and shall certainly come 
after certain years with a great 
army and with much riches. 

Dan. 11 :13. 

In those times there shall many 
stand up against the king of the 
south : also the robbers of thy peo- 
ple shall exalt themselves to estab- 
lish the vision ; but they shall fall. 
Dan. II : 14. 



The time will come when they 
will not endure sound doctrine ; 
but after their own lusts shall they 
heap to themselves teachers, hav- 
ing itching ears ; and they shall 
turn away their ears from the truth, 
and shall be turned unto fables. 
2 Tim. 4:3,4. 

As concerning the rest of the 
beasts, they had their dominion 
taken away : yet their lives were 
prolonged for a season and time. 
Dan. 7 : 12. 

Now go, write it before them in 
a table, and note it in a book, that 
it may be for the time to come for- 
ever and ever : that this is a rebel- 
lious people, lying children, chil- 
dren that will not hear the law of 
the Lord : which say to the seers. 
See not ; and to the prophets, 
Prophesy not unto us right things, 
speak unto us smooth things, 
prophesy deceits. Isa. 30 : 8-10. 



of wisdom. But it was not so. Israel then was 
as the church of to-day. Instead of leading by 
virtue of the spiritual life, she sought the wis- 
dom of Egypt and Greece. 

Peace was finally concluded between Philo- 
pater and Antiochus Magnus, which lasted four- 
teen years, until the death of Ptolemy. Ptolemy 
Philopater was succeeded by his son Ptolemy 
Epiphanes, who was in his minority. Anti- 
ochus Magnus took advantage of this seeming 
weakness in Egyptian affairs, and made exten- 
sive preparations to invade Egypt with the de- 
sign of conquering the entire dominion of the 
Ptolemies. But the Most High ruleth in the 
kingdoms of men, and Aiitiochus was brought 
to realize that there was another power on earth 
as well as in heaven. 

In the fourteenth verse the voice of the 
fourth beast is heard ; Rome placed itself on 
the side of the helpless king, and Antiochus 
found his ambition thwarted. The life of 
the Greek kingdom was spent. There were 
still many years of struggle, but it was 
a struggle for existence, not for added ter- 
ritory. But what Greece would not gain in 
territory she did gain as a teacher of nations, 
and although she finally lost all territorial su- 
premacy, though, like the kingdom of Nebuchad- 
nezzar, the tree was cut down, yet the roots 
remain unto this day. More than once, as an 
intellectual power, has Greece arisen. Through- 
out the intellectual world she has votaries bow- 
ing before her shrine — the mind of man. Her 
philosophy is to-day studied under the guise of 
modem writers ; her ideas are instilled into the 
minds of children, from the kindergarten to the 



THE HISTORY OF GREECE. 



225 



university, and students are graduated from the 
schools of the land knowing much more of the 
mythology of Greece than they do of the reli- 
gion of Jesus Christ; better acquainted with 
Greek heroes than with the Man of Calvary. 
Greek learning still rules the world, and it will 
until the setting up of the everlasting kingdom 
of God — till the stone cut out without hands 
shall fill the earth. 

As the Jews during the days of Alexander 
and his successors were without excuse, so the 
Israel of to-day has set before it the wisdom of 
the Eternal in contrast with the wisdom of 
Greece. And the message is, " Choose ye this 
day" at which shrine ye will bow. Sitting at 
the feet of Jesus, learning of Him, taking His 
word as the authentic history of the world. His 
truth as the interpreter of nature, will insure 
eternal life. Accepting the writings of men, 
human speculations regarding the history of the 
world, its creation, its age, placing a human in- 
terpretation upon the works of nature, and seek- 
ing to find out by experiment and speculation 
what must be known by faith, — this brings 
death ; for it leads away from Christ, the cen- 
ter of the universe, the source of all wisdom, 
the great drawing power of creation. The first 
is the systerii of God, of which faith is the mo- 
tive power ; the second is the - Greek system, 
which exalts human reasoning. One may not 
bow down to the idols of Egypt, nor drink of 
the wines of Babylon, but if he is entrapped by 
the more pleasing sophistries of Greece, his fate 
is the same in the end. 

For this reason Eternal Truth has shone 
along the pathway of men in all ages to guard 



Casting down imaginations, and 
every high thing that exalteth itself 
against the knowledge of God 
and bringing into captivity every 
thought to the obedience of Christ. 
2 Cor. 10 : 5. 

From a child thou hast known 
the holy scriptures, which are able 
to make thee wise unto salvation 
through faith which is in Christ 
Jesus. 2 Tim. 3 : 15-17. 

If the trumpet give an uncertain 
sound, who shall prepare himself 
to the battle ? i Cor. 14 : 8. 

Let us therefore fear, lest, a 
promise being left us of entering 
into his rest, any of you should 
seem to come short of it. 

Heb. 4 : 1. 



She had a sister called Mary, 
which also sat at Jesus' feet and 
heard his word. Luke 10 ; 39. 



Through faith we understand 
that the worlds were framed by the 
word of God, so that things which 
are seen were not made of things 
which do appear, Heb. 11:3. 

Without faith it is impossible to 
please him : for he that cometh to 
God must believe that he is, and 
that he is a rewarder of them that 
diligently seek him. Heb. 11 :6. 



Whatsoever is not of faith is sin. 
Rom. 14 : 23. 



It is the spirit that quickeneth ; 
the flesh profiteth nothing.- ♦■he 
words that I speak unto you, they 
are spirit, and they are life. 

John 6 :63. 



Stand fast therefore in the lib- 
erty wherewith Christ hath made 



15 



226 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



us free, and be not entangled again against the cnemy. Ill thcsc last days, wheii all 

with the yoke of bondage. ,, •iXi.-L i. ' jj ^.j^ 

Gal. s:i. ^^^ ^^1 o^ ^^^ P^^^ 1^ renewed and presented to 
man in all its varied forms, then it is that Greek 
philosophy and skepticism come forth in full 
force. A heart filled with truth is the only 

Sanctify them through thy truth : 

thy word is truth, johnij : 17. Safeguard against error. 





THE FOURTH KINGDOM. 



CHAPTER 11 : 14-22. 



The fourteenth verse of the eleventh chapter 
of Daniel, as we have seen, introduces a new- 
power. Gabriel, in narrating the events con- 
nected with thq history of Greece, brought that 
empire down to the time when the southern di- 
vision was in the hands of a child, Ptolemy 
Epiphanes, and when two men,. Philip of Mace- 
don and Antiochus of Syria, although jealous 
of each other, were willing to unite their 
strength in order to subdue Egypt. From a 
political point of view a general weakness pre- 
vailed in the once mighty empire of Alexander. 
Without noticing the details, the angel of proph- 
ecy speaks of the first appearance of the fourth 
kingdom as it comes in contact with the divi- 
sions of the third kingdom, Greece. This fourth 
kingdom is thus introduced: "The violent op- 



14. And in those times there 
shall many stand up against the 
king of the south : also the rob- 
bers of thy people shalt exalt 
themselves to establish the uision: 
but they shall fall. 

Dan. 11:14. 



Mai. 3 '5. 
Prov. 1 1 : 2J 



The perverseness of transgressors 
shall destroy them. 

Prov. II : 3. 



They would none of my counsel : 
they despised all my reproof. 
Therefore shall they eat of the 
fruit of their own way, and be filled 
with their own devices. 

Prov. I : 30, 31. 



227 



228 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



Dan 



II ' 14. 



It is the spirit that quickeneth ; 
the flesh profiteth nothing : the 
words that 1 speak unto you, they 
are spirit, and they are life, 

John 6 : 63, 

The words of the Lord are pure 
words . as silver tried in a furnace 
of earth, purified seven times. 

Ps. 12:6. 



Dan. 2 ? 40-43, 
Dan. 7 7, 19. 
Dan. 7 25. 



Then I would know the truth of 
the fourth beast, which was diverse 
from all the others, exceeding 
dreadful, whose teeth were of iron, 
and his nails of brass : which 
devoured, brake in pieces, and 
stamped the residue with his feet. 
Dan, 7 . 19. 



Out of one of them came forth 
a little hern, which waxed ex- 
ceeding great, toward the south, 
and toward the east, and toward 
the pleasant la nd . . And in the 
latter time of their kingdom, when 
the transgressors are come to the 
full, a king of fierce countenance, 
and understanding dark sentences, 
shall stand up. . . ^ And through 
his policy also he shall cause craft 
to prosper in his hand • and he 
shall magnify himself in his heart, 
and by peace shall destroy many : 
be shall also stand up against the 
Prince of princes. 

Dan. 8 :g, 23-25. 

Jer. SI =34, 35. 



In those times there shall many 
stand up against the king of the 
south also the children of robbers 
shalt exalt themselves to establish 
the vision ; but they shall fall. 

Dan II 14 [margin]. 



posers of thy people shall exalt themselves that 
the vision may stand." (Spurrell.) 

Since every word is divinely given, there is a 
significance in the very introduction of what is 
about to become the mightiest kingdom of the 
earth, and at the same time the greatest enemy 
which the people of God have ever had to meet. 
Daniel had seen this kingdom before. In the 
vision of the seventh chapter, Rome was repre- 
sented as a beast too terrible to name. Its char- 
acteristics were to devour, to stamp in pieces, 
and to break. During a part of its history it 
should speak great words against the Most 
High, it should wear out the saints of God, 
and think to change even His laws. So troub- 
led was the prophet over this view in his first 
vision that he sought for a special explanation 
of this fourth kingdom. 

In his next vision the fourth kingdom was 
again shown under the symbol of a little horn, 
which sprang from one of the divisions of Alex- 
ander's kingdom. In this view Rome was pre- 
sented in no milder form than in the previous 
vision. It was as a king with a " fierce counte- 
nance," "understanding dark sentences," hav- 
ing mighty power — a power even more than 
human. It was to be a scheming, underhanded 
government, and its most cruel practices were 
seen to be against God's chosen people. Yea, 
against Christ, the Prince of princes, the Prince 
of the covenant, this power should stand up. 
Gabriel spoke of the robbers who should exalt 
themselves to establish the vision — that is, to 
fulfill the description just given. 

Putting all these thoughts together, it will be 
seen that Rome, the fourth kingdom, the sue- 



THE FOURTH KINGDOM. 



229 



cesser of Greece, would be noted for the decis- 
ive policy which it maintained. Each nation in 
the prophetic chain had some strong feature, 
and its history is recorded as an object lesson to 
the world, as in the days of its life it had been 
an object lesson to the watching multitudes of 
other worlds. Babylon was an example of Sa- 
tan's power to establish a religion which coun- 
terfeited the heavenly worship. The result was 
the basest form of idolatry, a fornication which 
makes her the personification, among Bible 
writers, of all vileness. Medo-Persia was a type 
of Oriental despotism. " The law of the Medes 
and Persians changeth not ; " this was a proverb 
among the nations. But it was with the kings 
of this nation that Gabriel and Michael wrought ; 
it was the heads of this despotism who were kept 
in check by the power of the King of kings. 

Greece was altogether different from the pre- 
ceding two, and instead of gaining recognition 
because of the form of religion or government, 
she gained control of the world by the power of 
her intellect. With her education and philos- 
ophy she gained a foothold which no other na- 
tion ever held. When Babylon was overthrown 
and Medo-Persia was no more, Greece lived on 
in the minds of men. 

But the fourth kingdom was "diverse from 
all the others." As represented to John, Rome, 
the beast of Rev. 13:2, combined the charac- 
teristics of the leopard, the bear, and the lion. 
There were united the false system of the reli- 
gion of ancient Babylon, the governmental tyr- 
anny of Medo-Persia, and the mixture of good 
and evil in the intellectual culture of Greece. 
When the religion, the educational system, or 



Whatsoever things were written 
aforetime were written for our learn- 
ing, that we through patience and 
comfort of the scriptures might 
have hope. Rom. 15 :4. 

It is the land of graven images, 

and they are mad upon their idols. 

Jer. 50:38. -^ 

The Babylonians came to her 
into the bed of love, and they de- 
filed her with their whoredom, and 
she was polluted with them, and 
her mind was alienated from them. 
Eze. 23 : 14-18. 

Upon her forehead was a name 
written, MYSTERY, BABYLON 
THE GREAT, THE MOTHER 
OF HARLOTS AND ABOMI- 
NATIONS OF THE EARTH. 
Rev, 17 :s« 

Dan. 6 : 12. 

The prince of the kingdom of 
Persia withstood me one and twenty 
days : but, lo, Michael, one of the 
chief princes, came to help me ; and 
I remained there with the kings of 
Persia. Dan. 10 : 13. 

And hath made of one blood all 
nations of men for to dwell on all 
the face of the earth, and hath de- 
termined the times before ap- 
pointed, and the bounds of their 
habitation. Acts 17 : 26. 



The Greeks seek after wisdom, 
I Cor. I : 22. 



(For all the Athenians and stran- 
gers which were there spent their 
time in nothing else, but either to 
tell, or to hear some new thing.) 
Acts 17 : i6-2i. 



The beast which I saw was like 
unto a leopard, and his feet were as 
the feet of a bear, and his mouth 
as the mouth of a lion : and the 
dragon gave him his power, and his 
seat, and great authoritv. 

Rev. 13 :2. 



230 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



The king that faithfully judgeth 
the poor, his throne shall be estab- 
lished forever. Prov. 29 : 14. 



Except those days should be 
sl^ortened, there should no flesh be 
saved : but for the elect's sake 
those days should be shortened. 
Matt. 24 : 22. 



intellectual statutes, and the governmental his- 
tory of a nation are given, there remains little 
else worth relating. So in the one nation, 
Rome, is embodied the strength of all the previ- 
ous nations. What wonder that it was a terrible 
and dreadful nation, and that except the time 
of its supremacy should be shortened there 
should be none left to witness for the truth. It 




; — ff — ^ 

tua^oVerthrotun 
and TUedJD-Per^m 
wa^ no mere, 
Greece Iwed 
on ttt tKe 




-^^,. 



is to this power that we are introduced in the 
fourteenth verse of the eleventh chapter of 
Daniel. 

It was in the year 201 b. c. that the child, 
Ptolemy Epiphanes, fell heir to the throne of 
Egypt, and the kings of Macedon and Syria 
planned his overthrow and the division of his 
empire. It was then that Rome arose to promi- 
I stood upon the sand of the sea, nence before the prophet's eye. But Rome had 

and saw a beast rise up out of the . 

sea. ■ Rev. 13:1. already bccn in existence for years, and during 



Righteousness exalteth a nation : 
but sin is a reproach to any people. 
Prov. 14:34. 



The way of man is froward and 
strange. Prov. 21 :8. 



THE FOURTH KINGDOM. 



231 



those years had been accumulating strength to 
enable her to enter the arena with a bound 
when the proper time should come. The tradi- 
tional history of Rome dates as far back as the 
middle of the eighth century before Christ. 
That was before the days of Nebuchadnezzar 
and the glories of Babylon. In the days when 
Isaiah began to prophesy, then Rome was 
founded. It was said to be the home of a 
band of robbers and outlaws, and one of the 
first acts was the theft of the women of a neigh- 
boring city as wives for these early settlers. So 
if Romans are called the children of robbers, 
the character can not be denied. The Romans 
were a stalwart, sturdy race, and from the first 
began the development of a strong central gov- 
ernment. In this undertaking men were aided 
by the prince of this world, the devil himself : 
for the dragon, that old serpent, called the devil 
and Satan, gave the fourth' beast "his power, 
and his seat, and great authority." 

The force of all history is lost unless the stu- 
dent recognizes each nation as an actor in the 
great plan of redemption — one of the partici- 
pants in the great controversy between Christ 
and Satan. As the plans of the arch enemy 
had failed to carry in the history of Babylon, 
Medo-Persia and Greece, he now attempted with 
redoubled vigor to thwart the plans of God. 
He chose for this purpose the seven-hilled city. 
His plans were deep laid, and the structure tha"" 
he reared was builded on a firm foundation. 
Like a lighthouse off some rocky coast, the 
great planner hoped it would stand the mighty 
dashings of the waves of truth. It was his last, 
his supreme effort, for it is this kingdom in one 



Is this your joyous city, whose 
antiquity is of ancient days? her 
own feet shouJd carry her afar off 
to sojourn. Isa. 23 : 7. 



Rome like other nations had a 
history, long before its connection 
with the people of God, at which 
time it is noticed in prophecy. 
Babylon dates from the tower of 
Babel which Nimrod and others 
built. 



Dan. II : 14 [margin]. 
Rev. 13:2. 



The fourth kingdom shall be 
strong as iron : forasmuch as iron 
breaketh in pieces and subdueth all 
things : and as iron that breaketh 
all these, shall it break in pieces 
and bruise. Dan. 2 :4o. 



This matter is by the decree of 
the watchers, and the demand by 
the word of the holy ones : to the 
intent that the living may know 
that the Most High ruleth in the 
kingdom of men, and giveth it to 
whomsoever he will, and setteth up 
over it the basest of men. 

Dan. 4 : 17. 



Ps 22 : 27, 28. 

Thou sealest up the sum, full of 
wisdom, and perfect in beauty. 

Eze. 28 : 12. 



Ps. 100:5. 

We can do nothing against the 
truth, but for the truth. 

2 Cor. 13 :8. 



232 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



In the days of these kings shall 
the God of heaven set up a king- 
dom. Dan. 2 :44. 

The beast was taken, and with 
him the false prophet that wrought 
miracles before him. . . . These 
both were cast alive into a lake of 
fire burning with brimstone. 

Rev. 19 : 20. 

Where the word of a king is, 
there is power : and who may say 
unto him, What doest thou? 

Eccl. 8:4. 

The governor answered and t aid 
unto them, Whether of . the twain 
will ye that I release unto you? 
They said, Barabbas. 

Matt. 27 :2i. 

The rich man's wealth is his 
strong city r the destruction of the 
poor is their poverty. 

Prov. 10 : 15. 



Ye have despised the poor. Do 
not rich men oppress you, and draw 
you betore the judgment seats ? 

James 2 : 6. 



The rich ruleth over the poor, 
and the borrower is servant to the 
lender. Prov. 22 : 7. 

Acts 21 :39. 



The woman which thou sawest is 
that great city, wliich reigneth over 
the kings of the earth 

Rev. 17 :i8. 

Now there was a day when the 
sons of God came to present them- 
selves before the Lord, and Satan 
came also among them. 

Job I :6. 

Hereafter I will not talk much 
with you : for the prince of this 
world Cometh, and hath nothing in 
me. John 14 :3o. 



of its manifestations which stands until the 
end of time. 

In its earHest days Rome was ruled by kings, 
but it was impossible for a Western king to imi- 
tate the customs of the Oriental monarchies. 
Greek governments spanned the gulf between 
early despotism and the liberality of more mod- 
ern Western nations. There were two classes 
of men in Rome, and they both demanded rep- 
resentation in the government. At the end of 
two hundred and fifty years the kings were 
dethroned, and consuls substituted. Two con- 
suls from the wealthy class, the patricians, 
held the reins of government. For the 
next two centuries there was a struggle 
between patricians and plebeians for equal 
rights. The principles of republicanism were 
struggling for birth. Gradually the patri- 
cians lost power, until at last the gov- 
ernment rested in the hands of the people — 
that is citizens of Rome. But there were con- 
quered cities, especially in the peninsula of 
Italy. " Roman dominion in Italy was a do- 
minion of a city over cities." Finally rights 
of citizenship were granted to most of these. 

God's government is a representative govern- 
ment, and while He sits as King of kings. He 
bears sway by common consent, and His sub- 
jects from all the worlds have representatives in 
the councils of heaven. Satan, as prince of this 
world, was a representative in those days in that 
council. In Rome he attempted to counterfeit 
that phase of the divine government. 

It was as a republic that Rome began her 
career as a conquering nation. Her constitu- 
tion was the result of a gradual growth of two 



THE FOURTH KINGDOM. 



233 



centuries. Having her authority recognized 
throughout Italy, of which Rome was the cen- 
ter, she began acquiring territory by force of 
arms. Carthage, a rival city on the south of 
the Mediterranean, was the first point of attack* 
and for one hundred years Rome fought for 
supremacy. It was a bitter struggle, which 
could end in nothing less than the annihilation 
of one of the contending parties. Ridpath 
aptly expresses the policy of the government 
when he says. ** They [the Romans] toak what 
they could and then took the remainder." 

During the years when Rome hovered over 
Carthage, like an eagle ready to descend * upon 
its prey, she was always carrying on wars of ag- 
gression in other directions. Both the West 
and the East were invaded. Spain was made a 
subjected province ; all the citizens were taxed ; 
the silver and gold mines, the wealth of that 
county, were confiscated as state property, and 
no city was allowed to fortify itself without the 
consent of Rome. This was so-called republi- 
canism — the equal rights of men — as under- 
stood and practiced by Rome. 

The inhabitants of Corsica and Sardinia were 
sold in the slave markets of Rome, and so nu- 
merous were these slaves, says Livy, that *^ Sar- 
dinians for sale " became a proverbial expression 
for anything cheap. This also was Roman re- 
publicanism. Macedonia and Greece were in a 
state of turmoil, and Rome interfered. After 
conferences and wars, independence was pro- 
claimed to all Greeks. This was one of the 
policy schemes by which the republic worked, 
but liberty lasted for only a brief space. A few 
years later all those Macedonians who were able 



16. So the king of the north 
shall come, and cast up a mount, 
and take the most fenced cities : 
and the arms of the south shall 
not withstand, neither his chosen 
people, neither shall there be any 
strength to withstand. 

Dan. 11:15. 



Which waxed exceeding great, 
toward the south, and toward the 
east, and toward the pleasant land. 
Dan. 8 : 9. 



There is a generation, whose 
teeth are as swords, and their jaw 
teeth as knives, to devour the poor 
from off the earth, and the needy 
from among men. Prov. 30 : 14. 



Hab. 1:8.^ 

Javan, Tubal, and Meshach, they 
were thy merchants : they traded 
the p)ersons of men and vessels of 
trt-ass in thy market. 

Eze. 27 : 13. 



Through his policy also he shall 
cause craft to prosper in his hand. 
Dan. 8 :2s 



234 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



All this have I seen, and applied 
my heart unto every work that is 
done under the sun : there is a time 
wherein one man ruleth over an- 
other to his own hurt. 

Eccl. 8 :g. 

Man also knoweth not his time : 
as the fishes that are taken in an 
evil net, and as the birds that are 
caught in the snare ; so are the 
sons of men snared in an evil time, 
when it falleth suddenly upon 
them. Eccl. 9:12. 

Render therefore to all their 
dues: tribute to whom tribute is 
due ; custom to whom custom ; fear 
to whom fear ; honor to whom 
honor. Rom. 13 :6, 7. 

Matt. 17 : 24-27. 

Woe to thee, O land, when thy 
king is a child. Eccl. 10 : 16. 

Therefore also will I make thee 
sick in smiting thee, in making thee 
desolate oecause of thy sins. 

Micah 6: 13. 



Which waxed exceeding great, 
toward the south, and toward the 
east, and toward the pleasant land. 
Dan. 8 -.g. 



When the righteous are in au- 
thority, the people rejoice : but 
when the wicked beareth rule, the 
people mourn. Prov. 29 : 2. 



If thou seest the oppression of 
the poor, and violent perverting of 
judgment and justice in a province, 
marvel not at the matter : for he 
that is higher than the highest re- 
gardeth ; and there be higher than 
they. Eccl. 5 :8. 



If the Son therefore shall make 
you free, ye shall be free indeed. 
John 8 : 36. 



to govern themselves were carried to Rome, 
while those left were inexperienced men who 
soon played into the hands of the Roman senate. 
One hundred and fifty thousand Greeks were 
sold as slaves, and the treasures taken paid all 
expenses contracted during the war. So high 
was the tribute exacted from subjected prov- 
inces that it relieved Roman citizens of all taxes 
for future wars. This was independence as 
granted subjected provinces by the republic of 
Rome. 

The family of Antiochus was still bearing 
sway in the Eastern world. It was Antiochus 
IV who proposed to unite with Philip V of 
Macedon against the young king of Egypt when 
Rome interfered. But mild interference was 
never enough for Rome, although she some- 
times assumed to play that role for a time. 
Antiochus the Great in the single battle of 
Magnesia (b. c. 190) lost all his conquests in 
Asia Minor. He was obliged to pay three thou- 
sand talents, and an annual subsidy of one thou- 
sand talents, for twelve years. 

Rome controlled Egypt because the education 
of the heir to the throne was in the hands of a 
Roman senator, and a Roman army stood ready 
to defend the country against all attacks from 
the north or east. Roman power thus encircled 
the Mediterranean. 

The liberty granted to conquered nations was 
a myth. Rome was a republic only in name. It 
was as impossible for Rome to grant liberty to 
her dependencies as it would be for Satan him- 
self to manifest the attributes of God. Any 
nation, that departs from the principles of lib- 
erty of conscience, it matters not what its pre- 



THE FOURTH KINGDOM. 



235 



tensions, nor the wording of its constitution, 
nor the will of some of its people, will find it 
impossible to maintain a republic other than 
in name. This is true also in individual ex- 
perience. Liberty is known only when Christ 
is enthroned in the heart. 

There are always certain other results which 
accompany wars of conquest. For instance, 
this policy demands a large army. In the early 
days of Rome the army was made up of men 
who left the plow and the shop for the defense 
of their country, and when war was over, re- 
turned to their homes and their trades ; but as 
war became a regular business, generals found 
it to their advantage to keep their soldiers in 
readiness. The army was not so much a ser- 
vant of the state as an attache to the person 
of some successful general, whom it regarded 
as its patron. The way was thus open for 
military despotism, and Rome experienced that 
form of government more than once. 

The senate, supposed to represent the people, 
became a corporation greedy for gain and en- 
riched by the spoils of war. Senatorial favor- 
ites received rich provinces to govern, and brib- 
ery was almost universally practiced. "The 
power of the purse " was in the hands of the 
senate alone. To their influence may be added 
the constant and steady growth of the cities, 
and the decline of the rural population, a prac- 
tice always ruinous to republicanism, and one 
always encouraged by a false system of educa- 
tion and religion. 

Tradition made the Romans the descendants 
of the god of war. Mars, the Bruiser, and they 
were true to the character. Said the inspired 



Woe to the multitude of many 
people, which make a noise like 
the noise of the seas : and to the 
rushing of nations, that make a 
rushing like the rushing of mighty 
waters ! The nations shall rush 
like the rushing of many waters : 
but -God shall rebuke them, and 
they shall flee far off, and shall be 
chased as the chaff of the moun- 
tains before the wind, and like a 
rolling thing before the whirlwind. 
Isa. 17 : 12, 13. 

God hath spoken once ; twice 
have I heard ths ; that power be- 
longeth unto God. Ps. 62 : 1 1. 

Woe unto them that draw in- 
iquity with cords of vanity, and sin 
as it were with a cart rope. 

Isa. 5 : 18. 



He that loveth silver shall not be 
satisfied with silver : nor he that 
loveth abundance with increase . 
this is also vanity. Eccl. 5 : 10. 



His sons turned aside after lucre, 
and took bribes, and perverted 
judgment. i Sam. 8:3. 



They that trust in their wealth 
and boast themselves in the multi- 
tude of their riches ; none of them 
can by any means redeem his 
brother, nor give to God a ransom 
for him. Ps. 49:6,7. 



Moreover the profit of the earth 
is for all . the king himself is 
served by the field. Eccl. % 9. 



236 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



It shall break in pieces and con- 
sume all these kingdoms, and it 
shall stand forever. Dan. 2 : 44. 

He hath sent me to heal the 
broken hearted. Luke 4 : 18. 



Acts 22 : 25-29. 
Acts 23 : 27. 
Acts 16 :37, 38, 

He said, Thy name shall be 
called no more Jacob, but Israel : 
for as a prince hast thou power 
with God and with men, and hast 
prevailed. Gen. 32 :28, 

The dragon gave liim his power, 
and his seat, and great authority. 
Rev. 13 :2. 



Now these be the last words of 
David. . . . The anointed of the 
God of Jacob, and the sweet psalm- 
ist of Israel, said. 2 Sam, 23 : i. 

I Cor. 8 :s. 

Who. changed the truth of God 
into a lie, and worshiped and 
served the creature more than the 
Creator, who is blessed forever. 
Amen. Rom. i : 25. 



Now therefore send, and gather 
to me all Israel unto mount Car- 
mel, and the prophets of Baal four 
hundred and fifty, and the prophets 
of the groves four hundred, which 
eat at Jezebel's table. 

I Kings 18 : ig. 



penman, *' It shall break in pieces and bruise." 
Christ came to Rome as the Prince of peace, 
the binder up of wounds, the healer of the bro- 
ken-hearted. 

The religion of Rome was secondary to its 
government. That is, the state was the one all- 
absorbing institution. A man in Rome was 
great, not because of any character he bore or 
deed he had done, but for the simple fact that 
he was a Roman citizen. Name took the place 
of character. Here is seen the reverse of truth. 
With God it is character which gives the name ; 
with Rome it was name independent of char- 
acter. 

Although religion was subservient to the 
state, yet the form of religion in Rome played 
an important part in its history, especially in the 
second or papal phase. Since the papacy was a 
continuation of paganism, it is necessary to no- 
tice its leading features. There were no sweet 
singers, as David the Bethlehemite ; the nature 
study of the Greeks was also lacking. There 
were gods many and lords many, but a stern- 
ness characterized all worship. Man was dei- 
fied and canonized. The very name Augustus^ 
which was applied to a long line of emperors, 
meant divine. 

In the Roman temples a body of priests per- 
formed the sacred rites, but they were appointed 
by the state. The highest religious officer during 
the life of paganism was the Pontifex Maximus, 
the pope of paganism, and he was a civil officer. 
The religious hierarchy, consisting of priests, 
augurs, vestals, and the Pontifex Maximus, paved 
the way for the papal hierarchy of later days, 
just as the transition from republicanism to im- 



THE FOURTH KINGDOM. 



237 



perialism opened the gate for papal supremacy. 

In literature and education Rome borrowed 
largely from Greece, so that the intellectual 
supremacy of that nation must be traced to 
Greece, although the man of learning was of- 
ten a slave sold in the markets of his captors. 

It was, however, the education which pre- 
vailed in Greece, and which was copied by Rome, 



As Paul was to be led into the 
castle, he said unto the chief cap- 
tain, May I speak unto thee ? Who 
said, Canst thou speak Greek ? 

Acts 21 :37. 



A wise servant shall have rule 
over a son that causeth shame, and 
shall have part of the inheritance 
among the brethren. 

Prov. 17:2. 





r 



^ atan ha^ But one plan^ 
that i^ ^^ 

the development x»f ^in. 




od ha^ hut one pImS 

the unfolding 
of love and truth. 




':,'^:-w 



that trained a class of- citizens for warfare, for 
tryanny, and for the papacy. 

Roman law is extolled as the basis of all civil 
law to-day. It was developed gradually as be- 
fore stated, and the wheat of truth was mingled 
with the tares of error. It was good and evil, 
like the tree of which Adam partook in the 
garden. This is seen in latter-day applications 



Let both grow together until the 
harvest : and in the time of harvest 
I will say to the reapers, Gather ye 
together first the tares, and bind 
them in bundles to bum them : but 
gather the wheat into my bam. 

Matt, 13 : 30. 

Gen. 2 : 17, 

There is a way that seemeth 
right unto a man, but the end 
thereof are the ways of death. 

Prov. 16 :2s. 



238 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



Thou shalt remember all the way 
which the Lord thy God led thee 
these forty years in the wilderness, 
to humble thee, and to prove thee, 
to know what was in thine heart, 
whether thou wouldest keep his 
commandments, or no. 

Deut. 8:2. 



I know that, whatsoever God 
doeth, it shall be forever : nothing 
can be put to it, nor any thing 
taken from it : and God doeth it, 
that men should fear before him. 
Eccl. 3 : 14. 



When he giveth quietness, who 
then can make trouble? and when 
he hideth his face, who then can 
behold him? whether it be done 
against a nation, or against a man 
only. Job 34 rag. 



Where the Spirit of the Lord is, 
there is liberty. 2 Cor. 3:17. 



But Jesus called them unto him, 
and said. Ye know that the princes 
of the Gentiles exercise dominion 
over them, and they that are great 
exercise authority upon them. But 
It shall not be so among you : but 
whosoever will be great among 
you, let him be your minister : and 
whosoever will be chief among 
you, let him be your servant. 

Matt. 20 : 25-27. 



I will show thee that which is 
noted in the scripture of truth. 

Dan. 10:21. 



of those laws. The Greek worship of mind or 
reason, applied to Roman love of law, made the 
lawyer of Rome the forefather of that class of 
reasoners who to-day sway the world by argu- 
ment rather than by the rule of justice. 

Satan has but one plan — that is the develop- 
ment of sin ; God has but one — the unfolding 
of truth and love. All history is an object les- 
son, showing how God thwarts the thousand 
ways by which the devil tries to carry out his 
plans, and national history is but individual ex- 
perience on a large scale. 

Students very often read the story of nations, 
forgetting that they have before them a picture 
of their own lives. National history, rather 
than individual experience, is given in prophecy, 
because it is like a magnified view thrown on 
the canvas, revealing details that would be over- 
looked in the study of one man. It should be 
remembered that when principles are referred 
to, such as republicanism. Protestantism, mon- 
archy, papacy, liberty, or oppression, each has an 
application to man dealing with man, to church 
members dealing with one another, and to 
nation dealing with nation. 

With these facts in mind, the prophecies of 
Daniel concerning Rome may be understood. 
It seems that Gabriel called attention to the 
fourth kingdom, not at the beginning of its ex- 
istence, but at the time when all the principles 
previously set forth were well developed, and in 
just the stage to grow rapidly when the proper 
environments should be offered. The republic 
was in reality dead, although its corpse was yet 
unburied, and men were unwilling to acknowl- 
edge that life had really departed. During the 



THE FOURTH KINGDOM. 



239 



transition period between the republic and the 
full-fledged empire of the twentieth verse, a 
number of actors took a prominent part. It 
was a time of severe contest between men to 
see who could best serve the purpose of the 
controller of affairs who stood behind the 
throne of earthly monarchs. As the republic 
lost power, a corporation composed of Caesar, 
Pompey, and Crassus took the reins of govern- 
ment. Crassus controlled the money, Pompey 
had the army, and Caesar was the master mind. 

The Roman army, with Pompey as leader, 
swept through Asia Minor and Syria, and the 
entire kingdom o£ the Seleucidse fell at his feet. 
Antioch and every fortified station of the East- 
ern empire crumbled as he advanced. Pompey, 
called upon to decide between rulers of the 
Jews, entered Jerusalem, and, as in times past, 
the knowledge of the God of Israel was made 
known to the nation which was leading the 
world. Pompey, however, acted very differently 
from Alexander. He entered the city by force 
after a siege of three months ; the walls were 
demolished and the Jews put under tribute to 
the Roman government. Rome now stood '' in 
the glorious land which by his hand shall be 
consumed." This was in B. c. 63. 

The wisdom of God in choosing Palestine as 
the home of the Jews is recognized more and 
more as history progresses. There was no mis- 
take in the location, and there was no lowering 
of the standard set for that nation. In the days 
of Roman supremacy, as in the days of Solo- 
mon, it was the divine will that Israel should be 
the light of the world. They were entrusted 
with the sacred oracles of truth, and each na- 



They eat the bread of wicked- 
ness, and drink the wine of vio- 
lence. . . . The way of the wicked 
is as darkness : they know not at 
what they stumble. 

Prov. 4 : 17-19. 



We wrestle not against flesh and 
blood, but against principalities, 
against powers, against the rulers 
of the darkness of this world, 
against spiritual wickedness in high 
places. Eph. 6 : 12. 



Associate yourselves, O ye peo- 
ple, and 3'e shall be broken in 
pieces ; and give ear, all ye of far 
countries : gird yourselves, and ye 
shall be broken in pieces ; gird 
yourselves, and ye shall be broken 
in pieces. Isa. 8 : 9. 



16. But he that cometh against 
him shall do according to his own 
will, and none shall stand before 
him : and he shall stand in the 
glorious land, which by his hand 
shall be consumed. 

Dan. 11 :16. 



The people of the prince that 
shall come shall destroy the city 
and the sanctuary. Dan. g : 26. 



Tell us therefore. What thinkest 
thou? Is it lawful to give tribute 
unto Caesar, or not ? . . . Show 
me the tribute money. And they 
brought unto him a penny. And he 
said unto them, Whose is this 
image and superscription ? They 
say unto him, Caesar's. Then saith 
he unto them. Render therefore 
unto Caesar the things which are 
Caesar's and unto God the things 
that are God's. Matt. 22 : 17-21. 



240 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



For so hath the Lord commanded 
us, saying, I have set thee to be a 
light of the Gentiles, that thou 
shouldest be for salvation unto the 
ends of the earth. Acts 13 : 47. 

What nation is there so great, 
who hath God so nigh unto them, 
as the Lord our God is in all things 
that we call upon him for ? 

Deut. 4 ; 7, 8. 

Acts 17 :24, 25. 

My people have committed two 
evils ; they have forsaken me the 
fountain of living waters, and hewed 
them out cisterns, broken cisterns, 
that can hold no water. 

Jer. 2 :i3. 

Yea, the light of the wicked 
shall be put out, and the spark of 
his fire shall not shine. 

- Job 18:5. 

The good man is perished out of 
the earth : and there is none up- 
right . among men ; they all lie in 
wait for blood ; they hunt every 
man his brother with a net. That 
they may do evil with both hands 
earnestly, the prince asketh, and 
the judge asketh for a reward ; and 
the great man, he uttereth his mis 
chievous desire ; so they wrap it 
up. The best of them is as a 
brier ; the most upright is sharper 
than a tliom hedge ; the day of thy 
watchmen and thy visitation Com- 
eth ; now shall be their perplexity. 
Micah 7 : 2-4. 

It is a light thing that thou 
shouldest be my servant to raise up 
the tribes of Jacob, and to restore 
the preserved of Israel : I will also 
give thee for a light to the Gen- 
tiles, that thou mayst be my salva- 
tion unto the end of the earth. 

Isa. 49 : 6. 



77. He shall also set his face to 
enter with the strength of his 
whol" kingdom, and upright ones 
with him; thus shall he do and 
he shall give him the daughter of 
women, corrupting her : but she 
shall not stand on his side, neither 
be for him, Dan. 11 :17. 



tion was brought to them as to a fountain of 
living water. Had the Hebrew race been true 
to its appointed duty, the history of the whole 
world would read differently. Rome came to 
Jerusalem — came because sent of God, but 
the well was a cracked and leaky cistern, and 
the soul-thirst of the nation could not be 
quenched. As a result, Rome enslaved the 
Jews : the power of life which repels the en- 
emy was lacking. 

It was during the rule of the first triumvirate 
that Egypt, the kingdom of the south, was again 
entered by Rome. The Roman senate, in whose 
charge Cleopatra and her brother, Ptolemy Dio- 
nysius, had been placed by their father, had re- 
quested Pompey to visit Egypt to settle difficul- 
ties. Pompey, however, was slain while cross- 
ing to the land in a small boat. Caesar entered 
Alexandria shortly afterward, and espoused the 
cause of Cleopatra, who had been obliged to flee 
from the capital. Caesar was victorious over the 
ruling faction in Alexandria, and before leaving 
the city, enthroned Cleopatra and graced his 
triumph in Rome with Arsinoe, a representative 
of the royal family of the Ptolemies. History 
states that Caesar spent some nine months in 
Egypt, which was unusual for this general, as 
his rapid movements from place to place were 
one secret of his success. 

Caesar as a general stood in a position to ac- 
complish for the fourth kingdom what Nebu- 
chadnezzar, Cyrus, and Alexander had done for 
the former three, but we have no record that he 
even acknowledged God as a ruler of nations. 
He was fascinated and corrupted by the queen 
of Egypt. The seventeenth verse, which de- 



THE FOURTH KINGDOM. 



241 



scribes a particular event in history, also sym- 
bolizes the corrupting influence of Egypt when- 
ever the north came in touch with the south. 
Egypt was a blight to men and nations alike, 
from the days of Abraham to Caesar and its in- 
fluence still lives, a type of sin and bondage. 

Leaving Egypt, Caesar passed along the coast 
of Palestine and Asia Minor, receiving the sub- 
mission of all peoples, with such rapidity that he 
sent the famous despatch to Rome, " I came, I 
saw, I conquered " {Veniy Vidi, Vici), He re- 
turned to Rome, where he altered laws, strength- 
ened the senate, settled disturbances in the 
army, and later brought western Africa, which 
had revolted, into submission. 

Caesar was an organizer as well as a warrior, 
and displayed greater liberality and breadth of 
ideas than any previous ruler. Roman franchise 
was granted to the citizens of many cities hith- 
erto excluded, and all scientific men, of what- 
ever nationality, were equally honored. Still 
greater plans for Roman improvement were 
found among his papers after his death. He 
was nearing the pinnacle of earthly fame when he 
fell, pierced by a score of daggers, in the pres- 
ence of the senate which he controlled. He 
"stumbled and fell," leaving no heir to the 
throne. Another great man had passed from 
the scene of action. Heaven was watching, for 
the birth of the Son of Man was near at hand. 

It was the year 44 b. c. when the plans of 
Julius Caesar were cut short by his untimely 
death. Republicanism* was so far gone that the 
government fell into the hands of the strongest 
men, those who had military support, 

Lepidus, one of the second triumvirates, soon 
16 



As a jewel of gold in a swine *s 
snout, so is a fair woman 'which is 
without discretion. 

Prov. n :22. 



Prov. 7:4, 5. 
Eccl. 7 :26. 



Eze. 29 :3,6, 7. 
2 Kings 18 :2i. 
Matt, 2 :i5. 



Thus will I make thy lewdness 
to cease from thee, and thy whore- 
dom brought from the land of 
Eg5T)t. Eze. 23 : 27. 



. 78. After this shall he turn his 
face unto the isles, and shall take 
many : but a prince for his own 
behalf shall cause the reproach 
offered by him to cease ; without 
his own reproach he shall cause it 
to turn upon him. 

19. Then he shall turn his face 
toward the fort of his own land : 
but he shall stumble and fall, and 
not be found. Dan. 11 : 18, 19. 



I will punish the world for their 
evil, and the wicked for their in- 
iquity ; and I will cause the arro- 
gancv of the proud to cease, and 
will lay low the haughtiness of the 
terrible. Isa. 13 : 11. 



242 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



Thou art weighed in the bal- 
ances, and art found wanting. 

Dan. 5:27. 

I Sam. 8 : 19, 20. 



died; Antony, a second member, enamored by 
Cleopatra, and entrapped in the net of Egyptian 
darkness, cast himself upon his own sword and 
died ; Octavius, an adopted son of Julius Caesar, 



Marvel not at this : for the hour 
is coming, in the which all that are 
in the graves shall hear his voice, 
and shall come forth ; they that 
have done good, unto the resur- 
rection of life ; and they that have 
done evil, unto the resurrection of 
damnation. John 5 : 28, 29. 



There is no man that hath power 
over the spirit to retain the spirit ; 
neither hath he power in the day of 
death : and there is no discharge 
in that war ; neither shall wicked- 
ness deliver those that are given 
to it. Eccl. 8 : 8. 



20. Then shall stand up in his 
estate a raiser of taxes in the 
glory of the kingdom : but within 
few days he shall be destroyed, 
neither in anger, nor in battle. 
Dan. 11: 20. 



It came to pass in those days, 
that there went out a decree from 
Caesar Augustus, that all the world 
should be taxed. . . . And all went 
to be taxed, every one into his own 
city. And Joseph also went up 
from Galilee, out of the city of 
Nazareth, into Judea, unto the city 



o man Iictli tlotuUv 
and[ ri^eth not: ^^^ 
till the fieaVen^ Be no ntoreS/ 
tTxey ^Kall not atuane. nor be 
raided out of tPieir ^Teep* 

Job 14 ■ 12 
alone remained. Says Gibbon : " A martial no- 
bility and stubborn commons, possessed of arms, 
tenacious of property, and collected into con- 
stitutional assemblies, form the only balance 
capable of preserving a free constitution against 
the enterprises of an aspiring prince." Rome 
had none of these ; every barrier of the Roman 
constitution had been leveled by the ambition 
of Octavius, called Caesar Augustus. Further- 
more, the provinces had so long been oppressed 
by the scheming ministers of the republic that 
they gladly welcomed a one-man power. Augus- 
tus restored the senate to its former dignity, 
it is true, but " the principles of a free consti- 
tution are irrevocably lost when the legislative 
power is nominated by the executive." So 
Octavius was proclaimed emperor of Rome by 
the unanimous vote of that same servile senate. 

Thus was Caesar Augustus, • the raiser of 
taxes, brought to the head of the fourth king- 
dom. 

After centuries of strife and turmoil, wars, 
bloodshed, and oppression, the world lay passive 



THE FOURTH KINGDOM. 



243 



at the feet of the Roman emperor. One gov- 
ernment encircled the Mediterranean ; from the 
Atlantic to the Indian Ocean one power bore 
sway. It would seem that earthly government 
had achieved its highest ambition. Satan ex- 
ulted, and rested in the hope that at last victory 
was his. But the moment of his quiet resting 
was the calm preceding his greatest struggles. 
So quiet was the nation that the lifting of a 
hand m rebellion in any of its most distant parts 
would send a throb to the center, which would 
be answered by the return of the legions. 

Then it was that in the little town of Bethle- 
hem Ephratah, where Mary and Joseph, peasants 
of the hill town of Nazareth, had gone to be 
taxed in obedience to the command of this same 
Augustus, was bom a Saviour, even Christ the 
Lord. The very condition which caused Satan 
to exult were the conditions most favorable to 
Christ when He came to tabernacle among men. 
He whom Satan had opposed since the rebellion 
in heaven ; He, the Prince of the worlds 
throughout space, "was made in the likeness 
of man," and came into the world a helpless 
babe. The simple shepherds on the hillside near 
Bethlehem, tending their sheep where David 
had often tended his flocks, heard the angel 
choir proclaim the birth of the world's Re- 
deemer. Wise men in the eastern limits of the 
vast empire of Augustus, having read the proph- 
ecies, were watching for His star, and they, too, 
beheld a shining company of angels, and knew 
that God dwelt with men. But the rest of the 
empire slept on unconscious of His nearness. 

Bethlehem, the place of His birth, was dear 
to the memory of every true Jew. It was there 



of David, which is called Bethle- 
hem ; (because he was of the house 
and lineage of David :) to be taxed 
with Mary his espoused wife, being 
great with child. And so it was, 
that, while they were there, the 
days were accomplished that she 
should be delivered. And she 
brought forth her firstborn son, and 
wrapped him in swaddling clothes, 
and laid him in a manger ; because 
there was no room for them in the 
inn. And there were in the same 
country shepherds abiding in the 
field, keeping watch over their 
flock by night. And, lo, the angel 
of the Lord came upon them, and 
the glory of the Lord shone round 
about them : and they were sore 
afraid. Luke 2:1-9. 

Micah 1; : 2. 

The angel said unto them, Fear 
not : for, behold, I bring you good 
tidings of great joy, which shall be 
to all people. For unto you is 
born this day in the city of David 
a Saviour, which is Christ the 
Lord. And this shall be a sign 
unto you : ye shall find the babe 
wrapped in swaddling clothes, ly- 
ing in a manger. And suddenly 
there was with the angel a multi- 
tude of the heavenly host praising 
God, and saying. Glory to God in 
the highest, and on earth peace, 
good will toward men. 

Luke 2 : 10-14. 

Now when Jesus was born in 
Bethlehem of Judea in the days of 
Herod the king, behold, there came 
wise men from the east to Jerusa- 
lem, saying, Where is he that is 
born king of the Jews ? for we 
have seen his star in the east, and 
are come to worship him. . . . 
When they saw the star, they re- 
joiced with exceeding great joy. 
And when they were come into the 
house, they saw the young child 
with Mary his mother, and fell 
down, and worshiped him : and 
when they had opened their treas- 
ures, they presented unto him gifts ; 
gold, and frankincense, and myrrh. 
Matt. 2:1,2, 10, II. 

Gen. 28 : 12, ig. 



244 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



Yea, he had power over the an- 
gel, and prevailed : he wept and 
made supplication unto him : he 
found him in Bethel, and there he 
spake with us. Hosea 12 : 4. 

Gen. 28 :22. 



that God met their father Jacob as he left home, 
a fugitive and alone. It was named Bethel, — 
the house of God, for said Jacob, " Surely God 
is in this place, and I knew it not.'* Jacob came 
to the same spot and paid tithe of his gain while 




Gen. 35 :8. 

He went on his journeys from 
the south even to Beth-el, unto the 
place where his tent had been at 
the beginning, between Beth-el and 
Hai, Gen. 13 : 3. 

1 Sam. 16 :4-i3. 

2 Sam. 23 : 14-17. 



The angrel choir proclaim the birth 
of the world's Redeemer. 

with Laban. Deborah, Rachel's nurse, was bur- 
ied there. It was in Bethlehem that Abraham 
pitched his tent when he first entered the prom- 
ised land. David, the chosen of God, was 
anointed there. The well of Bethlehem was 
noted, a fit symbol of Him who was born in 



THE FOURTH KINGDOM. 



245 



Bethlehem and offers the water of life to all. 

" The story of Bethlehem is an exhaustless 
theme." In it is hidden "the depth of the 
riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of 
God." But in spite of the sacred memories 
which clustered about the place, when the 
Christ was born but few men knew it. 

All that the sacred record gives concerning 
Augustus, the man who held universal sway, 
is that he was a raiser of taxes when the king- 
dom was at the height of its glory, and that 
after a reign of a few days or years, he should 
end liis career in peace. He had unconsciously 
been instrumental in preparing the way for the 
Prince of peace, and having done that, he passed 
from the scene. 

"As in old time Cyrus was called to the 
throne of the world's empire that he might set 
free the captives of the Lord, so Caesar Augus- 
tus is made the agent for the fulfillment of 
God's purpose in bringing the mother of Jesus 
to Bethlehem. She is of the lineage of David, 
and the Son of David must be born in David's 
city." 

Most of the life of the Saviour was spent 
during the reign of Tiberius, the successor of 
Augustus, whom Gabriel described to Daniel as 
a **vile person." History substantiates the de- 
scription. He was not a direct heir to the 
throne, and he was never honored by his sub- 
jects. The tyranny of absolutism began again 
to manifest itself, and the principles of the 
Oriental monarchies were repeated. Popular as- 
semblies entirely ceased, and the emperor 
usurped the right to put to death without 
trial. The governors of Judah reflected the 



If any man thirst, let him come 
unto me, and drink. John 7 :37. 



Surely the Lord is in this place ; 
and I knew it not. Gen. 28 : 16. 



By me princes rule, and nobles, 
even all the judges of the earth. 
Prov. 8 : 10. 



The Lord is high above all na- 
tions, and his glory above the 
heavens. Ps. 113 14. 



Unto us a child is born, unto us 
a son is given : and the government 
shall be upon his shoulder : and his 
name shall be called Wonderful, 
Counselor, The Mighty God, The 
Everlasting Father, the Prince of 
Peace. Isa. 9 : 6. 



For Jacob my servant's sake, and 
Israel mine elect, I have even 
called thee by thy name : I have 
surnamed thee, though thou hast 
not known me. Isa. 45 : 4. 



21. And in his estate shall stand 
up a vile person, to whom they 
shall not glue the honor of the 
kingdom : but he shall come in 
peaceably, and obtain the king- 
dom by flatteries. Dan. 1 1 : 21. 



He was taken from prison and 
from judgment. Isa. 53:8. 



246 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



But we trusted that it had been 
he which should have redeemed 
Israel : and beside all this, to-day 
is the third day since these things 
were done. Luke 24 : 21. 

When they therefore were come 
together, they asked of him, say- 
*ng, Lord, wilt thou at this time 
restore again the kingdom to 
Israel? Acts i :6. 

In whom the god of this world 
hath blinded the minds of them 
which believe not, lest the light of 
the glorious gospel of Christ, who 
IS the image of God, should shine 
unto them. 2 Cor. 4 ',4. 



Dan. 3 


:4-6. 






Esther 


3:6, 


12- 


■14. 


Col. 2 : 


8. 






I Tim. 


6:20, 







Let no man beguile you of your 
reward in a voluntary humility and 
worshiping of angels, intruding into 
those things which he hath not 
seen, vainly puffed up by his fieshly 
mind. Col. 2 : 18-24. 



Luke 2 :25, 38. 
Matt. 3:5, 6. 



Jesus went about all Galilee, 
teaching in their synagogi'es, and 
preaching the gospel of the king- 
dom, and healing all manner of 
sickness and all manner of dis- 
ease among the people. And his 
fame went throughout all Syria. 
Matt. 4 :23, 24. 



character of the general government. The 
Jews were bitterly oppressed, and as they knew 
the time was near for the appearance of a Sav- 
iour, they placed all their hopes upon a tempo- 
ral king, one who should break the yoke of 
Rome and establish for them a separate king- 
dom. A few, perhaps, but only a few, divined 
the spiritual nature of the promise of a Mes- 
siah, for it was Satan's studied plan to blind 
men's eyes to all spiritual truth. 

In Babylon he had sought to make men drunk 
with idolatry ; working through Medo-Persia he 
had hoped to slay those who were faithful to 
their God ; through the teachings of Greece he 
had so fascinated man with the powers of his 
own mind that by works of righteousness which 
he might do, and philosophies of his own con- 
jecturing, he was led to forget any higher power 
than that which he himself possessed. But 
through it all a few had clung to the promise 
delivered to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The 
world was ignorant of the Christ, but John the 
Baptist called many to repentance. 

Christ's ministry was during the reign of 
Tiberius, and while that vile person worked, 
planned, mistrusted, and killed, the Man of God 
went about all the towns of Palestine, healing 
the broken-hearted, and dispensing light to all 
who would accept. Angels watched Him, Ga- 
briel attended Him, and in times of special dan- 
ger, shielded Him from the enemy who tracked 
him incessantly. Finally they nailed Him to 
the cross ; the Jews were responsible for it, but 
the Roman law upheld them in the act ; and 
had it not been done by His own people, the 
Romans would have done it ; for they had 



THE FOURTH KINGDOM. 



247 



reached a condition when the life of man was 
but lightly esteemed, and the spiritual kingdom 
which Christ came to set up could never have 
been understood by the reigning monarch. The 
officers of Rome nailed the Son of God to the 
cross. The Prince of the everlasting covenant 
was crushed by those who sought to confederate 
together ; they placed Him in the tomb ; they 
joined hands with Satan, as nation had never 
done before; but He broke those bands, and 
came forth triumphant. 

Representatives from the four quarters of the 
globe stood near Him in His last hours. The 
Greeks met Him at the temple on the last great 
day of the feast ; the thief hung beside Him on 
Calvary ; Simon of Cyrene helped bear the 
cross, and the centurion, a Roman soldier, con- 
victed, said, "Truly, this was the Son of God." 
The darkness which shrouded the dying form of 
Christ typified the condition of the Roman 
world. The light which shone about the tomb 
when the angels bade the Son of Man come 
forth, typified the power with which the truth 
should penetrate the empire as His followers 
went forth to preach salvation. 



22. And with the arms of a 
flood shall they be overthrown 
from before him, and shall be 
broken; yea, also the prince of 
the covenant. Dan. 11:22. 



Gen. 9 : 16. 

Heb. 13 : 20, 21. 

Acts 4 :26, 27, 
Acts 2 : 24. 



John 12 : 2o-2g. 

Matt. 27:38. 
Matt. 27 132. 
Matt. 27 : 54. 



God, who commanded the light 
to shine out of darkness, hath 
shined in our hearts, to give the 
light of the knowledge of the glory 
of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 
2 Cor. 4 : 6. 




CHAPTER XVI. 



THE MYSTERY OF INIQUITY. 



CHAPTER II : 23-31. 



I am the way, the truth , and the 
life. John 14 :6. 

That through death ht might 
destroy him that had the pjwer of 
death, that is, the devil. 

Heb. ^ : 14. 

I John 3 : 5. 

Now there was a day when the 
sons of God came to present them- 
selves before the Lord, and Satan 
came also among them. 

Job I : 6. 

I saw the Lord sitting on his 
throne, and all the host of heaven 
standing by him on his right hand 
and on his left. . . . And there 
came forth a spirit, and stood be- 
fore the Lo.'d, and said, I will per- 
suade him. And the Lord said 
unto him, Wherewith ? And he 
said, I will go forth, and I will be a 
lying spirit in the mouth of all his 
prophets. i Kmgs 22 : 19-23. 



The strength of paganism had been tested. 
Truth, eternal truth, had dwelt in the person 
of the Man of Nazareth. With the death of 
Christ, Satan lost hope. Looking forward to 
His crucifixion, Jesus said, **Now is the judg- 
ment of this world ; now shall the prince of this 
world be cast out." Satan, after his fall, had 
met from time to time with the representatives 
of other worlds. Some in that assembly, not 
comprehending the hideous nature of sin, had 
felt to question God's wisdom in expelHng Satan 
from the heavenly courts ; but when Christ's life 
was over, and they had seen the taunting of the 
enemy and his final act of murder, " the accuser 
of the brethren" was forever cast from the 
council of worlds. " When the dragon saw that 

248 



THE MYSTERY OF INIQUITY. 



249 



he was cast to the earth," he knew that his 
time was short, and with renewed energy he 
sought to overthrow the truth of God, and crush 
those who adhered to it. The remaining portion 
of the eleventh chapter of Daniel clearly reveals 
the true character of these statements. 

After the ascension of Christ, His disciples 
spread the gospel throughout Judea and all Pal- 
estine, and many who heard the word spoken 
with power on the day of pentecost went into 
their own countries to proclaim the truth as it 
was in Christ. In less than thirty years the 
world was warned. But the Jews were exclu- 
sive, even the disciples had not yet lost the idea 
that Christ was the Saviour of the Hebrew race, 
not the healer of all mankind. Persecutions in 
Jerusalem scattered the believers, and then they 
went everywhere preaching the salvation of 
God. Quietly, yet steadily, the life-giving cur- 
rent of the stream of Christianity penetrated to 
the remotest corners of the vast Roman empire. 
All nationalities were for the first time in all 
history united in Him, for with Him and His 
followers there was neither *' Greek nor Jew, 
circumcision nor uncircumcision, barbarian, 
Scythian, bond nor free, but Christ was all 
and in all." 

As the truth spread, it was the growth of an 
empire, a spiritual kingdom within the confines 
of earth's strongest monarchy. It was with the 
whole church as with each individual within the 
church, a spiritual life, a new man, circled about 
by a human form. Well would it have been for 
the progress of truth if all oppression of the 
spiritual by the temporal had been only when 
the state opposed the church. Instead, the 



The accuser of our brethren is 
cast down, which accused them be- 
fore our God day and night. 

Rev. 12 : ID. 

Woe to the inhabiters of the 
earth and of the sea ! for the devil 
is come down unto you, having 
great wrath, because he knoweth 
that he hath but a short time. 

Rev. 12 : 12. 

How hear we every man in our 
own tongue, wherein we were born? 
Acts 2 :8-ii. 



The hope of the gospel, which ye 
have heard, and which was preached 
to every creature which is under 
heaven. Col. i :6, 23. 



Therefore they that were scat- 
tere'd abroad went everywhere 
preaching the word. Acts 8 .'4. 

First, I thank my God through 
Jesus Christ for you all, that your 
faith is spoken of throughout the 
whole world. Rom. i : 8. 



Where there is neither Greek 
nor Jew, circumcision nor uncir- 
cumcision, barbarism, Scythian, 
bond nor free : but Christ is all, 
and in all. Col. 3 : ir. 



The kingdom of God cometh not 
with observation : neither shall 
they say, Lo here I or, lo there ! 
for, behold, the kingdom of God is 
within you. Luke 17 : 20, 21. 



To whom God would make 
known what is the riches of the 
glory of this mystery among the 
Gentiles ; which is Christ in you, 
the hopje of glory. Col. i '.27. 

Gal. 2 : 20. 



250 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



But I see another law in my 
members, warring against the law 
of my mind, and bringing me into 
captivity to the law of sin which is 
in my members. Rom. 7 : 18-25. 

Because the carnal mind is en- 
mity against God : for it is not 
subject to the law of God, neither 
indeed can be. Rom. 8:7. 

Let us lay aside every weight, 
and th2 sin which doth so easily 
beset us, and let us run with 
patience the race that is set before 
us. Heb. 12 : i. 

Men that have hazarded their 
lives for the name of our Lord 
Jesus Christ. Acts 15 : 26. 

2 Cor. II : 25-28. 

I am married unto you : and I 
will take you one of a city, and 
two of a family, and I will bring 
you to Zion. Jer. 3 : 14. 

Who hath delivered us from the 
power of darkness, and hath trans- 
lated us into the kingdom of his 
dear Son. Col. i : 13. 

It seemed good to the Holy 
Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you 
no greater burden than these nec- 
essary things ; that ye abstain from 
meats offered to idols, and from 
blood, and from things strangled, 
and from fornication : from which 
if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do 
well. Fare ye well. 

Acts 15 :28, 29. 

Gal. 4 : 9, 10. 

Take ye therefore good heed 
unto yourselves ; for ye saw no 
manner of similitude on the day 
that the Lord spake unto you in 
Horeb out of th^ midst of the fire. 
Deut. 4 : 15-19. 

Ex. 20 :.^. c. 

When ye pray, use not vain repe- 
titions, as the heathen do. 

Matt. 6 : 7. 

Now when they saw the boldness 
of Peter and John, and perceived 
that they were unlearned and igno- 
rant men, they marveled : and they 
took knowledge of them, that they 
had beeii with Jesus. 

Acts 4 : 13. 



greatest, the only effectual, drawback to the 
spread of the truth has been caused in individ- 
ual experience when the physical man has lim- 
ited the development of the spiritual. 

The early church was zealous ; their first love 
was strong, and the greatest difficulties were 
met and surmounted. Sometimes it meant an 
entire household, but often only one or two 
members of the home circle, stepped out of the 
darkness of paganism to stand for the truth of 
God against all the attacks of the enemy. 
Mothers watched their children with the great- 
est care, for every custom and practice of the 
people from their waking moment to the time 
when they committed themselves to sleep, from 
birth to death, was associated with the worship 
of some god. 

One peculiar thing about the new sect, as 
they were viewed by the pagans, was the ab- 
sence of images and forms which the senses 
could comprehend. When Christians gath- 
red for worship, there was no altar, no god, 
no incense. When the Christians prayed, 
there was no priesthood, no vain repetition of 
words, no offerings, but a simple petition in the 
name of Christ. An invisible power seemed to 
have taken control of the new converts, a power 
which never quailed, and which no pa;gan votary 
could gainsay. The life which God had so long 
searched for among the Jews was found among 
the early Christians. 

The enemy of truth had sought by every 
means to blind the eyes of the Jews to the love 
of God ; he had worked through every govern- 
ment for their destruction, and wheii their na- 
tion was at its lowest point, when spiritual vital- 



THE MYSTERY OF INIQUITY. 



251 



ity was almost exhausted, Christ came in person 
to revive their fainting hope. Then Satan used 
every device to deceive the Son of Man. He 
tempted Him in all points where human nature 
can be tempted ; he sought to ensnare Him with 
petty trials ; he sought to induce Him to accept 
high worldly honors ; but he failed in all, and 
when he thought he had gained the victory by 
His crucifixion, he found it was only the physi- 
cal form which could be thus bound, and that 
only for a time. An eternal spirit dwelt in 
mortal clay, and the bands of death were bro- 
ken by His resurrection. Now from the midst 
of that down-trodden people, that despised race, 
from the very foot of the ignominious cross, 
God chose a people and sent them forth to con- 
quer the world. " Such knowledge is too won- 
derful for me ; it is high, I can not attain 
unto it." What wonder that the world awoke 
with a start, and that Satan sought new devices 
for the overthrow of truth. 

Outward pressure, though tried again and 
again, had proved unavailing in stamping out 
the truth. In the fiery furnace was seen the 
form of a Fourth ; from the lions' den came 
forth a prime • minister ; from Joseph's new 
sepulcher arose a conqueror. Babylon, Persia, 
Greece, and Rome had attempted the overthrow 
of truth, but there had been a constantly in- 
creasing grandeut in place of defeat. A new 
plan was devised by Satan. If paganism could 
be placed in the heart, while Christian princi- 
ples were acknowledged outwardly, the over- 
throw would be certain ; for destruction worketh 
from within, outward. It was a repetition of 
Balaam's plan. 



I know you, that ye have not the 
love of God in you. . . . How 
can ye believe, which receive honor 
one of another, and seek not the 
honor that cometh from God only? 
John 5 : 42-44. 

The whole world lieth in wicked- 
ness. I John 5 : ig. 

We have not a high priest which 
can not be touched with the feeling 
of our infirmities ; but was in all 
points tempted like as we are, yet 
without sin. Heb. 4 ; 15, 

Hereafter I will not talk much 
with you : for the prince of this 
world Cometh, and hath nothing 
in me. . John 14 : 30. 

Go ye therefore, and teach all 
nations, baptizing them in the 
name of the Father, and of the 
Son, and of the Holy Ghost : teach- 
ing them to observe all things 
whatsoever I have commanded 
you : and, lo, I am with you alway, 
even unto the end of the world. 
Amen. Matt. 28 : 19, 20. 

The serpent cast out of his mouth 
water as a flood after the woman, 
that he might cause her to be car- 
ried away of the flood. 

Rev. 12 : 15. 

Dan. 3 : 2$. 
Dan. 6 :22. 
Luke 24 : 5, 6. 

There shall be false teachers 
among you, who privily shall bring 
in damnable heresies, even denjdng 
the Lord that bought them, and 
bring upon themselves swift de- 
struction. 2 Peter 2 : 1. 

As he thinketh in his heart, so is 
he : eat and drink, saith he to thee ; 
but his heart is not with thee. 

Prov. 23 : 7. 

I have a few things against thee, 
because thou hast there them that 
hold the doctrine of Balaam, who 
taught Balac to cast a stumbling- 
block before the children of Israel, 
to eat things sacrificed unto idols, 
and to commit fornication. 

Rev. 2.14. 



252 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 




^ tivl}^ Tit 

' hx^cvon being the 
mystery of goiIline<$^^, 
tuill^tana against 
the mystery qf 



I wrote unto the church: but Paul, the gTcat tcacher of rightcousness, as 

Diotrephes, who loveth to have the -i • • i r i 

preeminence among them, receiv- ^6 VlSltcd trOHl plaCC tO plaCe amOHg the 

ethusnot. Wherefore, if I come, saints, wrotc thus to the Thcssaloiiians I "The 

I will remember his deeds which 

he doeth, prating against us with mystery of iniquity doth already work." " Let 

malicious words : and not content i • ■> r .1 

therewith, neither doth he himself "^ ^^^ deceive you by any means; for that 
receive the brethren, and forbiddeth day shall not come, except there come a falHng 

them that would, and casteth them 

out of the church. 3 John 9, 10. away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the 

son of perdition ; who opposeth and exalteth 
himself above all that is called God, or that 
is worshiped ; so that he as 
God sitteth in the temple of 
God, showing himself that he 
is God." This is Paul's de- 
scription of the mystery of 
iniquity, the fourth beast of the 
vision of the seventh chapter 
of Daniel. 

Then it was that into that 
church, noted for its purity, 
crept the life of paganism. 
Sheltered in the folds of the 
Christian garb lay the serpent, 
the old dragon. As the birth 
of Christ, the incarnation of 
God, was a mystery, and is to- 
day a mystery which none can 
fathom, it was met by another 
mystery, a mystery of iniquity whose machina- 
without controversy great is the tions are too strong for the human mind to 

mystery of godliness: God was i ^ i t^ -n i • -r -i 1 ^^ 

manifest in the flesh, justified in Understand. It Will deccivc if possible the 
the Spirit seen of angels, preached ^g ^i^^^^ Qnly hc whosc cyc is lightened by 

unto the Gentiles, believed on in '^ -^ J <=> J 

the world, received up into glory, truth, whosc heart is the abiding place of the 
im. 3.) . g^^ ^^ God; in other words, only he who has 
within his own being the mystery of godliness, 
. . . ^ . will stand against the mystery of iniquity. 

That ye might be filled with all ° J J ~^ J 

the fullness of God. Eph. 3 : 19. In Paul's day, that is, in the first century after 




THE MYSTERY OF INIQUITY. 



253 



Christ, that pov/er was at work. Hitherto the 
history as recorded in the book of Daniel dealt 
with earthly kingdoms, but from this time on 
history handles this " mystery of iniquity " 
which worked through the various govern- 
ments. The distinction between the various 
kingdoms of the north and the south remains 
as it was in the past, but we pass from govern- 
ments as governments to a power which is 
swaying these governments. On one side in 
this controversy is the church of God ; on the 
other side is the mystery of iniquity, which 
often lays hold of earthly governments for the 
purpose of destroying the church. 

The expression "church of God" does not 
refer to denominational names or lines. From 
the days of Christ until the present, there has 
been a true church. Its members have often 
been scattered as far as human eye could dis- 
cern, but on the record books of heaven they 
have been recognized as a single company. 

The characteristic which marks the true 
church is adherence to the commandments of 
the God of heaven. Wherever a people have 
been true to these, God has honored them with 
His presence. Moreover, to each denomination 
which has arisen, there have been offered the 
same opportunities which were offered to the 
four succeeding nations as they arose ; that is, 
the privilege of walking in all the light, and by 
that very act becoming an everlasting company. 
As truth was rejected by the nations and they 
fell, so truth has been rejected by one denomi- 
nation after another, and they have fallen, an- 
other people taking the vacant place. This 
succession will be kept up until a remnant peo- 



There shall arise false Christs, 
and false prophets, and shall show 
great signs and wonders : insomuch 
that, if it were possible, they shall 
deceive the very elect. 

Matt. 24 :24. 



The woman which thou sawest 
is that great city, which reigneth 
over the kings of the earth. 

Rev. 17 : 18. 

I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet 
colored beast, full of names of 
blasphemy, having seven heads and 
ten horns. . . . And I saw the 
woman drunken with the blood of 
the saints, and with the blood of 
the martyrs of Jesus. 

Rev. 17 :3,6. 

God is no respecter of persons : 
but in every nation he that feareth 
him, and worketh righteousness, is 
accepted with him. 

Acts 10 :34, 35. 

In that time shall the present be 
brought unto the Lord of hosts of 
a people scattered and peeled, and 
from a people terrible from their 
beginning hitherto ; a nation meted 
out and trodden under foot, 

Isa. 18 : 7. 

Whosoever committeth sin trans- 
gresseth also the law : for sin is 
the transgression of the law. 

I John 3 : 4. 

Ps. I : 1-3. 

Here is the patience of the 
saints, here are they that keep the 
commandments of God, and the 
faith of Jesus. Rev. 14 : 12. 

O that thou hadst hearkened to 
my commandments ! then had thy 
peace been as a river, and thy 
righteousness as the waves of the 
sea. Isa. 48 : 18. 

Therefore to him that knoweth 
to do good, and doeth it not, to 
him it is sin, James 4: 17, 

Jer. 17:24, 25, 
Jer. 51 : 9. 



254 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



Her priests have violated my 
law, and have profaned mine holy 
things : they have put no differ- 
ence between the holy and profane, 
neither have they showed differ- 
ence between the unclean and the 
clean, and have hid their eyes from 
my sabbaths, and I am profaned 
among them. Eze. 22 : 26. 

The dragon was wroth with the 
woman, and went to make war 
with the remnant of her seed, 
which keep the commandments of 
God, and have the testimony of 
Jesus Christ. Rev. 12 : 17. 

Then shall be great tribulation, 
such as was not since the beginning 
of the world to this time, no, nor 
ever shall be. Matt. 24:21. 

I have somewhat against thee, 
because thou hast left thy first 
love. Rev. 2 14. 

Israel, return unto the Lord 
thy God: for thou has fallen by 
thine iniquity. Hosea 14 : i, 2. 

That the trial of your faith, 
being much more precious than of 
gold that perisheth, though it be 
tried with fire, might be found 
unto praise and honor and glory at 
the appearing of Jesus Christ. 

I Peter i : 7. 

1 will put enmity between thee 
and the woman, and between thy 
seed and her seed : it shall bruise 
thy head, and thou shalt bruise his 
heel. Gen. 3:15. 

Because iniquity shall abound, 

the love of many shall wax cold. 

Matt. 24 : 12. 
Rev. 6 :2. 

So that my bonds in Christ are 
manifest in all Caesar's court, and 
in all other places. 

Phil. I : 13 [margin], 

Phil. 4:22. 

For the wickedness of their do- 
ings I will drive them out of mine 
house, I will love them no more: 
all their princes are revolters. . . . 
My God will cast them away, be- 
cause they did not hearken unto 
him. Hosea 9 : 15, 17. 

Wickedness shall be broken as a 
tree. Job 24 : 20. 



pie who will keep the commandments of God 
and the faith of Jesus, shall be made up. They 
will enter the eternal city to reign with Christ. 
It is this struggle that was revealed to Daniel 
in the latter part of his last vision. The history 
of Rome becomes the history of religious con- 
troversy, and the struggle between truth and 
error is greater than ever before. 

The history of the church, as given to John, 
contains more details than the words of Gabriel 
to Daniel. To His followers of the first cen- 
tury, God says, "Thou hast left thy first love. 
Remember, therefore, from whence thou art 
fallen, and repent, and do the first works." 
Of the church in the second and third centu- 
ries. He says, " I know thy works, and tribula- 
tion, and poverty (but thou art rich). . . . Fear 
none of those things which thou shalt suffer; 
behold, the devil shall cast some of you into 
prison, that ye may be tried ; and ye shall have 
tribulation." Christianity and paganism were 
in open conflict for three centuries following the 
birth of Christ, and at times the serpent reared 
his head to smite the truth to the ground. 
Some of the followers of Christ were perse- 
cuted, and others grew cold and indifferent. 
But there was a power in the gospel which the 
pagans could not withstand. As its followers 
increased, their influence was felt even in politi- 
cal circles. 

The close of the third century of the Chris- 
tian era found the government of Rome greatly 
weakened. The evils of the empire, its oppres- 
sion and cruelty, made it almost impossible for 
the emperor to control affairs. Authority was 
in the hands of the army, which seated and un- 



THE MYSTERY OF INIQUITY. 



255 



seated rulers at will. Barbarian hordes pressed 
the empire on all sides, and the downfall of 
Rome was imminent. Some radical change was 
necessary to prevent complete disruption, and 
Diocletian, the reigning emperor, conceived the 
idea of partitioning the territory. Consequently 
he associated with himself a man by the name 
of Maximian, giving him the title of Augustus. 
Each of the two emperors chose an assistant, 
called a Caesar, whose duty it was to guard the 
frontiers. According to the plan of Diocletian, 
the Caesars should become emperors on the 
death of the Augusti, and then other Caesars 
would be appointed. For a while the four who 
stood at the head of the Roman empire worked 
together in harmony, but through a variety of 
complications war broke out. 

Constantine was a Caesar in the western divi- 
sion of the empire, and marching toward the 
East, he subdued, one by one, all rivals in the 
government. It was about the year 312 a. d. 
when, confronted by bitter foes, whose strength 
he recognized, this rising light assumed a policy 
never before followed. 

There were many Christians scattered through- 
out the empire who refused to fight under the 
banner of paganism. With these Constantine 
made a league. The story of his conversion is 
variously told, and perhaps the details are unim- 
portant. The fact remains that he acknowl- 
edged the God of the Christians, proclaimed 
himself a follower of Christ, and immediately 
Christians from all over the empire flocked 
into his army, devout followers of the general 
who now fought in the name of Christianity. 

Speaking of the use of the cross, Gibbon 



Even as I have seen, they that 
plow iniquity, and sow wickedness, 
reap the same. By the blast of 
God they perish, and by the breath 
of his nostrils are they consumed. 
Job 4:8,9. 



Where no counsel is, the people 
fall : but in the multitude of coun- 
selors there is safety. 

Prov. II :i4. 



They have deeply corrupted 
themselves, as in the days of Gib- 
eah : therefore he will remember 
their iniquity, he will visit their 
sins. Hoseagrg. 



For they know not to do right, 
saith the Lord, who store up vio- 
lence and robbery in their palaces. 
Amos 3 : lo. 



They have set up kings, but not 
by me : they have made princes, 
and I knew it not : of their silver 
and their gold have they made 
them idols, and they may be cut 
o£E. Hosea 8 : 4. 



23. And after the league made 
with him he shall work deceit- 
fully : for he shall come up, and 
shall become strong with a small 
people. 

24. He shall enter peaceably 
even upon the fattest places of 
the province; and he shall do that 
which his fathers have not done, 
nor his fathers' fathers ; he shall 
scatter among them the prey, and 
spoil, and riches : yea, and he 
shall forecast his devices against 
the strong holds, even for a time. 

Dan. 11 : 23, 24. 

Her princes in the midst thereof 
are like wolves ravening the prey, 
to shed blood, and to destroy souls, 
to get dishonest gain. 

Eze. 22 : 27. 



256 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



Saying, Alas, alas that great city, says I " This samc synibol sanctified the arms of 

hat was clothed in fine linen, and ., , ,. c r^ . .• -1 t--_ ^ 

purple, and scarlet, and decked the soWiers of Constantine ; the cross ghttered 
with gold, and precious stones, and j^ their helmets, was engraved on their shields, 

pearls ! Rev. 18 : 16. 

was interwoven into their banners ; and the con- 
secrated emblems which adorned the person of 
Take the helmet of salvation, \]^q cmpcror himsclf wcrc distinguished only 

and the sword of the Spirit, which 

is the word of God : Eph. 6 : 17. by the richcr materials and more 

exquisite workman- 
ship." The standard 
which was borne be- 
fore this (Christian) 
army " supported a 
crown of gold, which 
inclosed the myste- 
rious monogram, at 
once expressive of 
the figure of the 
cross, and the in- 
itial letter of the 
name of Christ." 

The humble f o 1- 
lowers of Christ, who 
immediately after 
His ascension had 
gone forth " con- 
quering and to con- 
quer," carrying with 
them His words, the 
sword of the Spirit, 
Not every one that saith unto had bccn rcplaccd by an army with helmet 

me. Lord, Lord, shall enter into i iiii iii-i 

the kingdom of heaven; but he ^nd sword, Icd by a commandcr who bound 
that doeth the will of my Father togcthcr the cmblcms of the cross and his 

which IS m heaven. Matt. 7:21. 

own name. 

The clothing of paganism in Christian gar- 
ments was never more complete than in the days 
of Constantine. The mystery of iniquity was 




The cross glittered in their helmets, was engraved on their 
shields, was interwoven into their banners. 



When Ephraim spake trembling, 
he exalted himself in Israel ; but 
when he offended in Baal, he died. 
Hosea it: i. 



THE MYSTERY OF INIQUITY. 



257 



hard at work. Constantine conquered the Ro- 
man world; he sat as sole monarch of the 
empire which had been tottering in the hands of 
his predecessors. The Praetorian guard, which 
had been the terror as well as the protection of 
other emperors, was forever suppressed by Con- 
stantine. The dignity of the senate and people 
of Rome received a fatal blow, and they were 
thereafter subject alike to the insults or neglect 
of their master, who resided in the new capital, 
Constantinople. 

The character of Constantine, that first Chris- 
tian emperor, is aptly described by Gibbon. In 
discussing the reason why he delayed baptism 
until he was on his death-bed, he says: "The 
sublime theory of the gospel had made a much 
fainter impression on the heart than on the un- 
derstanding of Constantine himself. He pur- 
'sued the great object of his ambition through 
the dark and bloody paths of war and policy ; 
and after the victory, he abandoned himself 
without moderation to the abuse of his fortune. 
Instead of asserting his just superiority above 
the imperfect heroism and profane philosophy 
of Trajan and the Antonines, the mature age 
of Constantine forfeited the reputation which 
he had acquired in his youth. As he gradually 
advanced in the knowledge of truth, he propor- 
tionately declined in the practice of virtue ; and 
the same year of his reign in which he convened 
the Council of Nice, was polluted by the execu- 
tion, or rather murder, of his eldest son. . . . 
The gratitude of the church has exalted the vir- 
tues and excused the failings of a generous pat- 
ron, who seated Christianity on the throne of 
the Roman world ; and the Greeks, who cele- 



I am the Lord : that is my name : 
and my glory will I not give to 
another, neither my praise to 
graven images. Isa. 42 : 8. 



Beware of false prophets, which 
come to you in sheep's clothing, 
but inwardly they are ravening 
wolves. Matt. 7 : 15. 



They consider not in their hearts 
that I remember all their wicked- 
ness : now their own doings have 
beset them about : Hosea 7:2, 



Ye who turn judgment to worm- 
wood, and leave off righteousness 
in the earth, , . . For 1 know your 
manifold transgressions and your 
mighty sins : they afflict the just, 
they take a bribe, and they turn 
aside the poor in the gate from 
their right. Therefore the prudent 
shall keep silence in that time ; for 
it is an evil time. 

Amos s :7, 12, 13. 



How long halt ye between two 
opinions ? if the Lord be God, fol- 
low him : but if Baal, then follow 
him. I Kings 18 :2i. 



I have written to him the great 
things of my law, but they were 
counted as a strange thing. 

Hosea 8 : 12. 



They went to Baal-peor, and sep- 
arated themselves unto that shame ; 
and their abominations were ac- 
cording as they loved, 

Hosea 9 : 10. 

Their heart is divided ; now shall 
they be found faulty : he shall 
break down their altars, he shall 
spoil their images, Hosea 10 : 2, 

No man can serve two masters ; 
for either he will hate the one, and 



17 



258 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



love the other ; or else he will hold 
to the one, and despise the other. 
Ye can not serve God and mam- 
mon. Matt. 6 : 24. 

Woe unto you, scribes and Phari- 
sees, hypocrites I for ye are like 
unto whited sepulchers, which in- 
deed appear beautiful outward, but 
are within full of dead men's bones, 
and of all uncleanness. Even so 
ye also outwardly appear righteous 
unto men, but within ye are full of 
hypocrisy and iniquity. 

Matt. 23 : 27, 28. 

Full well ye reject the command- 
ment of God, that ye may keep 
your own tradition. 

Mark 7 :8, g. 

In vain they do worship me, 
teaching for doctrines the com- 
mandments of men. Matt. 15 : 9. 

Think not that I am come to de- 
stroy the law, or the prophets : I 
am not come to destroy, but to ful- 
fil. For verily I say unto you, Till 
heaven and earth pass, one jot or 
one tittle shall in no wise pass from 
the law, till all be fulfilled. 

Matt. 5 : 17, 18. 

Israel hath cast off the thing that 
is good : the enemy shall pursue 
him. Hosea 8 : 3. 



I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet 
colored beast, full of names of 
blasphemy, having seven heads and 
ten horns. . . . And the woman 
which thou sawest is that great 
city, which reigneth over the kings 
of the earth. Rev. 17 :$, 18. 



The way of the wicked is as 
darkness : they know not at what 
they stumble. Prov. 4: 19. 



O thou that art situate at the 
entry of the sea, which art a mer- 
chant of the people for many isles. 
. . . Thy borders are in the midst 
of the seas. Eze. 27 : 2, 4. 



brate the festival of the imperial saint, seldom 
mention the name of Constantine without add- 
ing the title of Equal to the ApostlesT These 
words alone offer a sad commentary on the de- 
cline of Christian virtue since the days of Christ. 
He who claimed the power of Christianity was 
less virtuous than the heroic pagan Trajan, and 
such pagan philosophers as the Antonines. 

The first religious laws ever passed by Chris- 
tians were edicts of Constantine. In 312 the 
edict of Milan granted universal toleration; in 
321 the first law for the worship of Sunday was 
published ; in 325 was convened at Nice the first 
ecumenical council, which formulated a creed for 
the world. Then began the conflict which tore 
the church asunder and exposed it to open 
shame. About the reign of Constantine cluster 
events of the greatest interest, not to Rome 
only, but to the church of God and to the world. 
It was the first and perhaps the greatest object 
lesson illustrating the effects of the elevation 
of Christianity in name to the throne of the 
world. 

In the wake of this reign followed the years 
of darkness for all Europe, when antichrist 
reigned supreme. Constantine indeed per- 
formed that which neither his father nor his 
father's fathers had performed. He left to his 
heirs "a new capital, a new policy, and a new 
religion." No one had before dared to think 
that the capital could be removed from Rome. 
Constantine selected the site of Constantinople 
with more than human wisdom. It is formed 
by nature to be the center and capital of a 
great monarchy. It has been the contested 
point among the nations of Europe since the 



THE MYSTERY OF INIQUITY 



259 



continent has had nations to contend, and ac- 
cording to the prophecy of Daniel, it will be the 
bone of contention to the end of time. It is a 
fact worth noting that the city was founded in 
the year 330 b. c, exactly three hundred and 
sixty years, " a time," after the victory of Octa- 
vius over Antony at Actium, which placed him 
as sole ruler on the Roman throne. 



Though he be fruitful among his 
brethren, an east wind shall come, 
the wind of the Lord shall come 
up from the wilderness, and his 
spring shall become dry, and his 
fountain shall be dried up : he shall 
spoil the treasure of all pleasant 
vessels. Hosea 13 : 15. 

Yea, and he shall forecast his 
devices against the strongholds, 
even for a time. Dan. 11 : 24. 



«WAv 



jiet Blithe jiiSge^ nnSiovon 
ptovtt, anct t"Fie occupation of alF 
iradb^ re^tonttieveneraBTc day 
o|'iPie <^un; liut let tTio^uiho are 
^ituatcdTintPie cjcruntry^jVeeTxj 
aniIatJ\xTrriBer% atteni3!to 
FteBu^ine^^ qf agricuTtur 
j becaii^e it i^tennappen^ tFiat 
j no otPier dau i^^ofii forlorn 
\ ing corn and planting vmc^; 
Te^t fFie critical moment Be 
ing let ^Tip, men should 
lo^e tlie commodities 
grantedBy Iteave 





The First Sunday Law. 

The new policy was the outworking of a union 
of church and state. The kingdoms of .the past 
had followed a policy somewhat similar to one 
another. Government was with them the central 
object. This was seen in its strongest light in 
pagan Rome, but with Constantine the policy 
changed. Paganism as paganism was laid low, 



Because, even because they have 
seduced my people, saying, Peace ; 
and there was no peace ; and one 
built up a wall, and, lo, others 
daubed it with un tempered mortar : 
say unto them which daub it with 
untempered mortar, that it shall 
fall : there shall be an overflowing 
shower ; and ye, O great hailstones, 
shall fall ; and a stormy wind shall 
rend it. Eze. 13 : 10-12. 



26o 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



Ye adulterers and adulteresses, 
know ye not that the friendship of 
the world is enmity with God? 
whosoever therefore will he a 
friend of the world is the enemy of 
God. James 4 : 4. 



My people ask counsel at their 
stocks, and their staff declareth 
unto them : for the spirit of whore- 
doms hath caused them to err, and 
they have gone a whoring from 
under their God. Hosea 4 : 12. 

Rejoice not, O Israel, for joy, as 
other people : for thou hast gone a 
whoring from thy God. 

Hosea 9:1. 

Be sober, be vigilant ; because 
your adversary the devil, as a roar- 
ing lion, walketh about, seeking 
whom he may devour. 

I Peter 5 : 8. 

Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, 
and ye that dwell in them. Woe to 
the inhabiters of the earth and of 
the sea ! for the devil is come down 
unto you, having great wrath, be- 
cause he knoweth that he hath but 
a short time. Rev. 12 : 12. 

The dragon was wroth with the 
woman, and went t^ make war with 
the remnant of her seed, which 
keep the commandments of God, 
and have the testimony of Jesus 
Christ. Rev. 12 : 17. 

Be not deceived ; God is not 
mocked : for whatsoever a man 
soweth, that shall he also reap. 
Gal. 6 : 7. 

Can two walk together, except 
they be agreed? Amos 3:3. 

Her priests have polluted the 
sanctuary, they have done violence 
to the law. Zeph. 3 : 4. 

The priest's lips should keep 
knowledge, and they should seek 
the law at his mouth : for he is the 
messenger of the Lord of hosts. 
But ye are departed out of the way ; 
ye have caused many to stumble at 



and the "mystery of iniquity " was enthroned. 
The world was given Christianity, not as it came 
from the Hfe of Him whose name it bore, but 
as it was corrupted and polluted by human and 
Satanic minds. Gibbon says that hereafter the 
historian will describe "political institutions" 
before relating wars, and that "he will adopt 
the division unknown to the ancients of civzl 
and ecclesiastical ajfairs!' That is, future his- 
tory must deal with church and state, and not 
with kingdoms such as Babylon, Medo-Persia, 
and Greece. 

History has changed. The devil is going 
about seeking whom he may devour, and the 
calm, determined plans for conquering the world 
which marked the nations before the days of 
Christ, have been replaced by a desperation 
that means the utter destruction, if possible, 
of all who serve the God of heaven. Any 
means is lawful in the hands of the prince of 
this world, and the greater the number who fall, 
the lighter the burden which he, the arch enemy, 
must bear in the days of the final reckoning. 
The acts of Constantine started a series of 
movements which developed rapidly into the 
antichrist of the Dark Ages. 

The council held . at Nice was an important 
gathering alike to the church and the nation, for 
since the two have joined hands, whatever af- 
fects one affects the other. 

The Christian world was torn asunder by 
theological factions. Alexandria, the center of 
all philosophical study, was also the center of 
theological activity. Here is where the Greek 
influence was most forcibly felt. Athanasius, 
the leader of one faction, was archdeacon, and 



THE MYSTERY OF INIQUITY. 



261 



afterward bishop of Alexandria, and his oppo- 
nent, Arius, was presbyter in the same city. 

Paganism and Christianity met on the battle- 
field when Constantine contended for the throne 
of Rome; paganism and Christianity met in 
more deadly conflict in Alexandria, where Chris- 
tian and pagan schools stood side by side. Here 
it was that such men as Origen and Clement, 
recognized Fathers of the church, adopted the 
philosophy of the Greeks, and applied to the 
study of the Bible the same methods which 
were common in the study of Homer and other 
Greek writers. Higher criticism had its birth in 
Alexandria. It was the result of a mingling of 
the truths taught by Christ and the false phil- 
osophy of the Greeks. It was an attempt to in- 
terpret divine writings by the human intellect^ a 
revival of the philosophy of Plato. These 
teachers, by introducing Greek philosophy into 
the schools which were nominally Christian, 
opened the avenue for the theological contro- 
versies which shook the Roman world, and 
finally established the mystery of iniquity. 

So from this false teaching of the Word in 
Alexandria came two leaders — Athanasius and 
Arius. Each had his following, and yet no man 
could clearly define the disputed point over 
which they wrangled. So great was the con- 
troversy that the Council of Nice was called to 
settle the dispute, and deliver to the church 
an orthodox creed. The emperor Constantine 
called the council, and was present in person. 
At this council the creed of Athanasius was 
recognized as orthodox, and Arius and his fol- 
lowers were pronounced heretics. 

But announcing a creed is one thing, and hav- 



the law ; ye have corrupted the 
covenant of Levi, saith the Lord of 
hosts. Mai. 2 :7, 8. 

Because my people hath forgot- 
ten me, they have burned incense 
to vanity, and they have caused 
them to stumble in their ways from 
the ancient paths, to walk in paths, 
in a way not cast up. 

Jer. 18: 15. 

The shepherds fed themselves, 
and fed not my flock. 

Eze. 34:8. 

In their setting of their threshold 
by my thresholds, and their post 
by my posts, and the wall between 
me and them, they have even de- 
filed my holy name by their abomi- 
nations that they have committed. 
Eze. 43 :8. 

Jer. 23 : 28-32. 

Rom. II : 33-36. 



Seemeth it a small thing unto 
you to have eaten up the good pas- 
ture, but ye must tread down with 
your feet the residue of your pas- 
tures? and to have drunk of the 
deep waters, but ye must foul the 
residue with your feet? And as for 
my flock, they eat that which ye 
have trodden with your feet ; and 
they drink that which ye have 
fouled with your feet. Iherefore 
thus saith the Lord God unto them ; 
Behold, I, even I, will judge be- 
tween the fat cattle and between the 
lean cattle. Because ye have thrust 
with side and with shoulder, and 
pushed all the diseased with your 
horns, till he have scattered them 
abroad ; and ye are my flock, the 
flock of my pasture, are men, and I 
dm your God, saith the Lord God. 
Eze. 34:18-21,31. 

There is a conspiracy of her 
prophets in the midst thereof, like 
a roaring lion ravening the prey ; 
they have devoured souls. 

Eze. 22 : 25. 

Her princes in the midst thereof 
are like wolves ravening the prey, 



262 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



to shed blood, and to destroy souls, 
to get dishonest gain. 

Eze. 22 :27. 

The heads thereof judge for re- 
ward, and the priests thereof teach 
for hire, and the prophets thereof 
divine for money : yet will they 
lean upon the Lord, and say. Is 
not the Lord among us ? none evil 
can come upon us. 

Micah 3 :io, ii. 



Thus saith the Lord ; For three 
transgressions of Judah, and for 
four, I will not turn away the pun- 
ishment thereof ; because they have 
despised the law of the Lord, and 
have not kept his commandments 
and their lies caused them to err, 
after the which their fathers have 
walked. Amos 2:4. 



Judah hath dealt treacherously, 
and an abomination is committed in 
Israel and in Jerusalem ; for Judah 
hath profaned the holiness of the 
Lord which he loved, and hath 
married the daughter of a strange 
god. Mai. 2 : II. 



Dan. 



7:7. 



26. And he shall stir up his 
power and his courage against the 
king of the south with a great 
army ; and the hing of the south 
shall be stirred to battle with a 
uery great and mighty army ; bi^t 
he shall not stand : for they shall 
forecast devices against him. 

26. Yea, they that feed of the 
portion of his meat shall destroy 
him, and his army shall overflow : 
and many shall fall down slain. 

27. And both these kings' hearts 
shall be to do mischief, and they 
shall speah lies at one table; but 
it shall not prosper : for yet the 
end shall be at the time appointed. 

Dan. 11:25-27. 



ing it adopted is another. The orthodox creed 
was published to the world, and then began the 
fight. In this strife armies fought and much 
blood was shed. But in spite of the fact that 
Arianism was heresy, the doctrine spread. It 
was popular among the barbarian tribes who in- 
vaded the western division of the Roman em- 
pire. The Vandals, who settled in Africa, were 
among the followers of Arius, and so also were 
the Heruli and Ostrogoths who settled in Italy. 
But while Arianism spread through Africa, Sar- 
dinia, and Spain, and was present at times in 
Italy, the recognized religion of the Roman em- 
peror and the empire itself, the northern king- 
dom, which now had its seat at Constantinople, 
was the Catholic faith, as proclaimed at Nice. 
As Constantine was the representative of this 
northern division in his day, so later, between 
527 and 565, Justinian became champion of the 
Catholic cause. 

According to the vision of the seventh chap- 
ter of Daniel, the Roman kingdom would be 
divided into ten parts, represented by the ten 
horns of the fourth beast, and three of these 
kingdoms should be plucked i\p by another 
power. It is this part of the history of the 
fourth kingdom which is related in the eleventh 
chapter of Daniel, beginning with the twenty- 
fifth verse. 

Justinian's reign was the most brilliant pe- 
riod of Byzantine history after the death of Con- 
stantine, and historians agree that among his 
greatest military achievements must bo classed 
his exploits against the south. The success of 
Justinian was due to the services throughout 
the greater part of his reign, of the celebrated 



THE MYSTERY OF INIQUltY. 



263 



general Belisarius. He was the tool in the 
hands of the emperor for crushing out heresy. 

The Vandals were Arians, but Hilderis, the 
grandson of their chief warrior, the noted Gen- 
seric, favored the Catholic faith. The disaffec- 
tion of his subjects made it possible for Hilde- 
ris to be dethroned by Gelimer, who had some 
title to the Vandal throne. Under pretense of 
protecting the dethroned Hilderis, the emperor 
Justinian prepared for a war in Africa. While 
still undecided as to the advisability of making 
the attack because of the weakness of the Ro- 
man army and the cost of the undertaking, his 
purpose was confirmed by the words of a Cath- 
olic bishop. Said he in prophetic tones, " It is 
the will of Heaven, O emperor, that you should 
not abandon your holy enterprise for the deliver- 
ance of the African church. The God of bat- 
tles will march before your standard, and dis- 
perse your enemies, who are the enemies of His 
Son." This was sufficient, and the ^^ holy'' war 
for the extermination of Arianism was under- 
taken. 

A force of Romans, the largest Belisarius 
could command from the weakened empire, 
aided by recruits from the east, landed in 
Africa. The Vandal army numbered 160,000 
fighting men. Belisarius was hastened in his 
march toward Carthage by enemies of Gelimer 
and friends of the Catholic creed. The armies 
met near the city, and victory came to the 
Romans through the folly and rashness of the 
brother of the Vandal king. Gelimer fled, and 
Carthage opened her gates and admitted Bel- 
isarius and his army. "The Arians, con- 
scious that their reign had expired, resigned the 



For thy violence against thy 
brother Jacob shame shall cover 
thee, and thou shalt be cut off for 
ever. Obadiah lo. 

But this I confess unto thee, that 
after the way which they call her- 
esy, so worship I the God of my 
fathers, believing all things which 
are written in the law and in the 
prophets. Acts 24 : 14. 

An hypocrite with his mouth de- 
stroyeth his neighbor. 

Prov. 11:9. 

O thou that art named the house 
of Jacob, is the spirit of the Lord 
straitened."* are these his doings? 
do not my words do good to him 
that walketh uprightly? Even of 
late my people is risen up as an 
enemy : ye pull off the robe with 
the garment from them that pass 
by securely as men averse from 
war. The women of my people 
have ye cast out from their pleas- 
ant houses ; from their children 
have ye taken away my glory for- 
ever. Arise ye, and depart ; for 
this is not your rest : because it is 
polluted, it shall destroy you, even 
with a sore destruction. If a man 
walking in the spirit and falsehood 
do lie, saying, I will prophesy unto 
thee of wine and of strong drink ; 
he shall even be the prophet of 
this people. Micah 2 : 7-11. 



How canst thou say : I am not 
polluted, I have not gone after 
Baalim ? see thy way in the valley, 
know what thou hast done : thou 
art a swift dromedary traversing 
her ways : a wild ass used to the 
wilderness, that snuffeth up the 
wind at her pleasure ; in her occa- 
sion who can turn her away? all 
they that seek her will not weary 
themselves : withhold thy foot from 
being unshod, and thy throat from 
thirst : but thou saidst, There is no 
hope : no ; for I have loved stran< 
gers, and after them will I go. 

Jer. 2 : 23-25. 



264 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



Behold, the eyes of the Lord 
God are upon the sinful kingdom. 
Amos 9: 8. 

Rejoice not, O Israel, for joy, as 
other people : for thou hast gone a 
whoring from thy God, thou hast 
loved a reward upon every corn- 
floor. Hosea q : i. 



temple to the Catholics, who rescued their saint 
from profane hands, performed the holy rites, 
and loudly proclaimed the creed of Athanasius 
and Justinian." The Catholic faith triumphed. 
Arianism fell, and Sardinia and Corsica surren- 




Prom the palace of Bellsarius the procession 
was conducted through the streets. 



Ephraim is joined to idols : let 
him alone. Hosea 4 : 17. 



28. Then shall he return into his 
land with great riches; and his 
heart shall be against the holy 
covenant; and he shall do ex- 
ploits, and return to his own land. 

29. At the time appointed he 
shall return, and come toward the 
south ; but it shall not be as the 
former, or as the latter. 

Dan. 11 .-28, 29. 



dered, and the other islands of the Mediterra- 
nean yielded to the arms and creed of Justinian. 
In the autumn of 534 Justinian granted a 
triumph to Belisarius. Gibbon thus describes 
the scene : " From the palace of Belisarius the 
procession was conducted through the streets to 
the hippodrome. . . . The wealth of nations 
was displayed, the trophies of martial or effem- 
inate luxury ; rich armor : golden thrones, and 
the chariots of state which had been used by 
the Vandal queen ; the massive furniture of the 



THE MYSTERY OF INIQUITY. 



265 



royal banquet, the splendor of precious stones, 
the elegant forms of statues and vases, the 
more substantial treasures of gold, and the holy 
vessels of the Jewish temple, which, after their 
long peregrination, were respectfully deposited 
in the Christian church of Jerusalem. A long 
train of the noblest Vandals reluctantly exposed 
their lofty stature and manly countenance." 

^*The Arians deplored the ruin of their church 
which had been triumphant above a century in 
Africa; and they were justly provoked by the 
laws of the conqueror, which interdicted the bap- 
tism of their children,' and the exercise of all 
religious worship." It is not much to be won- 
dered at that those who remained plotted against 
the government and the general who represented 
Justinian. The loss of life was terrible in those 
wars for the supremacy of one creed above an- 
other, and the path to the papal crown was 
bloodstained. It is stated that five million Afri- 
cans were consumed by the wars and govern- 
ment of the emperor Justinian. 

For the sake of brevity, the wars between the 
Catholic empire and the Vandals may be taken 
as an illustration of the extermination of the 
other two kingdoms — the Heruli and the Os- 
trogoths. Justinian was reigning emperor, and 
most of the work was done by Belisarius, be- 
tween the years 533 and 538. 

The last contest with paganism was in 508 
when the French and Britons accepted Christian- 
ity; the "daily" spoken of in Daniel had been 
taken away. By 538 the way was clear for the 
papacy to sit enthroned in Rome. The new 
capital established by Constantine left Rome 
free to be occupied by the head of the church. 



The ark was not among these 

holy vessels, for at the time of the 
Babylonian captivity," the prophet, 
being warned of God, commanded 
the tabernacle and the ark to go 
with him, as he went forth into 
the mountain, where Moses climbed 
up, and saw the heritage of God. 
And when Jeremy came thither, he 
found a hollow cave, wherein he 
laid the tabernacle, and the ark, 
and the altar of incense, and so 
stopped the door. And some of 
those that followed him came to 
mark the way, but they could not 
find it. Which when Jeremy per- 
ceived, he blamed them, saying, 
As for that place, it shall be un- 
known until the time that God 
gather his people again together, 
and receive them unto mercy. 
Then shall the Lord show them 
these things, and the glory of the 
Lord shall appear, and the cloud 
also, as it was showed under Moses, 
and as when Solomon desired that 
the place might be honorably sanc- 
tified." 2 Maccabees 2 : 4-8. 



30. For the ships of Chittim 
shall come against him : therefore 
he shall be grieved, and return, 
and have indignation against the 
holy covenant : so shall he do ; he 
shall even return, and have intel- 
ligence with them that forsake 
the holy covenant. Dan, 77 :80. 



The pride of thine heart hath 
deceived thee, thou that dwellest 
in the clefts of the rock, whose 
habitation is high : that saith in 
his heart, Who shall bring me 
down to the ground ? Though thou 
exalt thyself as the eagle, and 
though thou set thy nest among the 
stars, thence will I bring thee 
down, saith the Lord. 

Obadiaha, 4. 



266 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



37, And arms shall stand on his 
part, and they shall pollute the 
sanctuary of strength, and shall 
take away the daily sarriftce, and 
they shall place the abomination 
that maketh desolate. 

Dan. 11 :31. 



Ephraim, he hath mixed himself 
among the people ; Ephraim is a 
cake not turned. HoseajrS. 



Hath a nation changed their 
gods, which are yet no gods? but 
my people have changed their glory 
for that which doth not profit. Be 
astonished, O ye heavens, at this, 
and be horribly afraid, be ye very 
desolate, saith the Lord. For my 
people have committed two evils ; 
they have forsaken me the fountain 
of living waters, and hewed them 
out cisterns, broken cisterns, thst 
can hold no water. 

Jer. 2 : 11-13. 



Thus saith the Lord concerning 
the prophets that make my people 
err, that bite with their teeth, and 
cry. Peace *, and he that putteth not 
into their mouths, they even pre- 
pare war against him. Therefore 
night shall be unto you, that ye 
shall not have a vision : and it shall 
be dark unto you, that ye shall not 
divine : and the sun shall go down 
over the prophets, and the day 
shall be dark over them. Then 
shall the seers be ashamed, and 
the diviners confounded : yea, they 
shall all cover their lips ; for there 
is no answer of God. 

Micah 3 : 5-7. 



The new religion — Christianity — we have seen 
mingled with paganism, which it crushed, and 
gave birth to the papacy. The new policy, a 
union of church and state, gave civil aid to that 
paganized Christianity called the papacy. The 
harvest of the seed sown in the days of Con- 
stantine was reaped in the reign of Justinian, 
whose military and civil power supported *' the 
abomination that maketh desolate." 

A striking feature of , this history is the fact 
that the very code of law which Rome has be- 
queathed as a legacy to later times, is the work 
of this same Justinian. Is it to be wondered at 
that the laws of this emperor, who reigned at 
the time when the papacy was formed, and who 
was the one that supported it by arms, should 
contain some principles of the papacy .? Fisher 
says, " Humane principles are incorporated into 
the civil law, but likewise t/ie despotic system of 
imperialism^ The laws of Justinian form the 
basis of national laws to-day ; likewise the reli- 
gion of Justinian is the recognized religion of 
most countries to-day. 

Constantine and Justinian were the two men 
instrumental above all others in forming the 
papacy, and giving it civil power. The contest 
between Arianism and the orthodox Catholicism 
was the means of enthroning the papacy. A 
power soon to be recognized as the personifica- 
tion of all tyranny swayed the scepter of Rome, 
and the followers of the One who proclaimed a 
covenant of peace to Israel, would for the pe- 
riod of 1200 years struggle for existence. 

Every principle of truth was crushed, and 
with 538 was ushered in the Dark Ages. 




CHAPTER XVII. 



THE WORK OF THE MYSTERY OF INIQUITY. 

CHAPTER 11 : 32-45. 



As THE year 457 b. c. was an important date 
in Jewish history, so 538 A. d. is a mile-post in 
the history of the Christian church. The for- 
mer, dating from the decree to restore and build 
Jerusalem, marks the beginning of one great 
prophetic period, the 2300 days of Dan. 8 : 14. 
The latter, which witnessed the setting up of 
the papacy, is the date from which to reckon 
that other prophetic period, "a time and times 
and the dividing of time," or the twelve hun- 
dred and sixty days of Dan. 7:25. It is the 
period during which the little horn, that plucked 
up three of the ten divisions of the Roman em- 
pire, should bear sway. It is to the beginning 
of this period, the year 538, that the thirty-first 
verse of the eleventh chapter of Daniel brings 
the history. 



Ezra 7 : 1 1-26. 



Arms shall stand on his part, and 
they shall pollute the sanctuary of 
strength, and shall take away the 
daily sacrifice, and they shall place 
the abomination that maketh deso- 
late. Dan. II :3i. 



From the time that the daily sac- 
rifice shall be taken away, to set up 
the abomination, etc., that aston- 
isheth, there shall be a thousand 
two hundred and ninety days . 

Dan. 12 : II [margin]. 



Let no man deceive you by any 
means : for that day shall not come, 
except there come a falling away 
first, and that man of sin be re- 
vealed, the son of perdition ; who 
opposeth and exalteth himself 

267 



268 



STORY 



above all that is called God, or 
that is worshiped ; so that he as 
God sitteth in the temple of God, 
showing himself that he is God. 
Rememer ye not, that, when I was 
yet with you, I told ye these 
things ? And now ye know what 
withholdeth that he might be re- 
vealed in his time. For the mys- 
tery of iniquity doth already work : 
only he who now letteth will let, 
until he be taken out of the way. 
2 Thess. 2 : 3-7J 

Rev. 13 '.2. 
Isa. 44 '.27, 28. 
Isa. 45 : 1-5. 

Violence is risen up into a rod of 
wickedness . none of them shall 
remain, nor of their multitude, nor 
of cny of their 's: neither shall 
there be wailing for them. 

Eze. 7 : II. 



Proud and haughty scomer is his 
name, who dealeth in proud wrath. 
Prov. II :24. 



2 Thess. 2 14, 
Dan. 8 : 25. 

Will a man leave the snow of 
Lebanon which cometh from the 
rock of the field? or shall the cold 
flowing waters that come from an- 
other place be forsaken ? 

Jer. 18 : 14. 



Seemeth it a small thing unto 
you to have eaten up the good pas- 
ture, but ye must tread down with 
your feet the residue of your pas- 
tures? and to have drunk of the 
deep waters, but ye must foul the 
residue with your feet? And as for 
my flock, they eat that which ye 
have trodden with your feet : and 
they drink that which ye have 
fouled with your feet. 

Eze. 34 : 18, 19. 



OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 

The fully developed papacy was not the work 
of one nor of two years any more than the uni- 
versal power of Babylon, Medo-Persia, or Greece 
was an immediate acquisition As those king- 
doms grew in power, so papal Rome grew in 
power. According to Rev. 13:2, the dragon 
gave the beast his power and his seat and great 
authority. The work of Constantine and Jus- 
tinian in gaining power for this new organiza- 
tion was parallel to the conquests of Cyrus, 
Alexander, and Caesar in their conquests for 
their respective nations. The seat of the pagan 
Roman government was removed to Constanti- 
nople, thereby giving room for the papacy to be 
seated on the throne in the city on the Tiber. 
As territory and a capital were gained gradually, 
so the authority of the papacy was a gradual 
acquisition. Each of the four universal king- 
doms had a distinct policy, which was followed 
throughout its existence. Likewise the papacy 
had its policy just as clearly defined. The work- 
ing of this policy in its inception is best seen in 
Alexandria. It was there that the tvv^o streams, 
paganism and Christianity, mingled their waters. 
The papacy had birth on the banks of the Nile : 
Egypt was the mother who nursed it, and as it 
grew, it breathed in the miasma of its surround- 
ings. First, Christians interpreted the Bible 
according to pagan thought, and paganism, ap- 
pearing to be vanquished, in reality became the 
conqueror. 

Then the teachings of the Word were changed. 
In order to compromise with pagans, idol wor- 
ship was introduced into the Christian church ; 
the second commandment was dropped from the 
decalogue, and the tenth was divided to preserve 



THE WORK OF THE MYSTERY OF INIQUITY. 26t 



%^ 




the number. The fourth, the keystone to the 
law of God, a memorial of creation and redemp- 
tion, was so altered as to exalt the enemy of 
God above God himself. Later, the whole Bible 
was discarded, and as that detector of sin was 
suppressed, vileness and iniquity became uncon- 
trollable. This, however, was not the whole 
policy of the papacy, but only one of the stones 
in the foundation of the structure that was 
being reared. 

The head of the church, who was Ukewise a 
civil ruler, was exalted more and more above his 
fellows, until a complete ecclesiastical hierarchy 
was formed. By decree of a general council 
the head of the church was declared infallible. 
But even before, this faith in the new church, 
and especially in the head of the church, took 
the place of faith in Christ. The Virgin Mary 
and saints became mediators for sinful man, and 
forgiveness was granted by the head of the 



Ex. 20 : 8-11. 

Verily my Sabbaths ye shall 
keep : for it is a sign between me 
and you throughout your genera- 
tions ; that ye may know that I am 
the Lord that doth sanctify you. 
Ex. 31 : 13. 

Rom. 7 : 7. 

Who changed the truth of God 
into a lie, and worshiped and 
served the creature more tlian the 
Creator, Rom. i :25. 

Thou hast said in thine heart, I 
will ascend into heaven, I will exalt 
my throne above the stars of God. 
Isa. 14 : 13. 

2 Thess. 2 : 8. 



There is one God and one media- 
tor between God and men, the man 
Christ Jesus. i Tim. 2:5. 



Isa. 2g : 13-25. 



270 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



Not of works, lest any man 
should boast. Eph. 2 : 9. 

Behold, the darkness shall cover 
the earth, and gross darkness the 
people. Isa. 60:2. 

Hosea 6:9. 

In thee are men that carry tales 
to shed blood. Eze. 22 :g. 

Rev. 13 : 7, 8. 

Who hate the good and love the 
evil ; who pluck off their skin from 
off them, and their flesh from off 
their bones ; who also eat the flesh 
of my people, and flay their skin 
from off then" • nnd they break their 
bones, and chop them in pieces, as 
for the pot, and as flesh within the 
caldron. Micah 3 :2, 3. 

If thine eye be evil, thy whole 
body shall be full of darkness. If 
therefore the light that is in thee 
be darkness, how great is that 
darkness! Matt. 6:23. 

Dan. 7 : 25. 

Then shall be great tribulation, 
such as was not since the beginning 
of the world to this time, no, nor 
ever shall be. And except those 
days should be shortened, there 
should no flesh be saved : but for 
the elect's sake those days should 
be shortened. Matt. 24 : 21, 22. 



32. And such as do wicked ty 
against the covenant shall he cor- 
rupt by flatteries : but the people 
that do know their God shall be 
strong, and do exploits. 

Dan. 11:32. 



Yet I have left me seven thou^ 
sand in Israel, all the knees which 
have not bowed unto Baal, and 
every mouth which hath not kissed 
him. I Kings 19 : 9, 10, 18. 



church. Righteousness by works led to long 
pilgrimages, penance, and relic worship. Ever- 
lasting punishment was held as a threat above 
the heads of the common people. The dark- 
ness deepened. The inquisition was instituted 
to force men's consciences. Kings upon their 
thrones were compelled to recognize the supe- 
rior authority of the power of Rome, and failure 
to do so meant the removal of their crowns. 
Subjects were absolved from allegiance to their 
sovereigns, and so complete was the obedience 
of nations to Rome, that no man dared lift his 
hand in opposition. 

A darkness beyond comprehension settled 
over all the world. The light had been extin- 
guished when God's word was banished " The 
noontide of the papacy was the world's moral 
midnight." 

The power which should speak great words 
against the Most High, and wear out the saints 
of the Most High, was allotted 1260 years in 
which to work; but so cruel was that power 
that the time was shortened, lest none should 
survive the persecution. It was Egyptian or 
Babylonian bondage for the Christian church. 
But even as God had some in Egypt and Baby- 
lon who were followers of the light throughout 
the period of darkness, there was ever a little 
company of believers who held the Scriptures 
dear to their hearts, and who obeyed the com- 
mandments. 

The Waldenses could trace their ancestry 
back to the days of Paul, and from Asia Minor,' 
where that apostle first preached, to the wild 
retreat in the mountains of Italy, there were 
faithful Sabbath-keepers. The power on the 



THE WORK OF THE MYSTERY OF INIQUITY. 27}.^ 



throne might change the day of worship, but 
there were always some who obeyed God rather 
than man. As Gabriel told Daniel, **They that 
understand among the people shall instruct 
many ; yet they shall fall by the sword, and by 
flame, by captivity, and by spoil." Though 
thousands fell because they dared lift the voice 
against the powers that be, yet God watched 
their numbers and counted each one who gave 
his life. 

There is no more wonderful record of deliv- 
erance from bondage than that which God 
wrought for His church at the close of the pe- 
riod of persecution. Israel's deliverance from 
Egypt, when a multitude marched, through the 
Red Sea on dry land, was marvelous ; the deliv- 
erance from Babylon was a wonder in the eyes 
of the world ; but the birth of Protestantism — 
the deliverance from the darkness of the Middle 
Ages — surpassed all others. 

In the twelfth chapter of Revelation, where 
the same deliverance is mentioned, it is stated 
that the earth helped the woman — -the church. 
And it did indeed. Powers that were wholly 
unaccountable for the good they were doing, 
were used by the Father to break those bands 
that Satan had placed around the truth. The 
suppression of the Bible had led to the suppres- 
sion of all learning. There were no schools for 
the masses ; there were no books, no papers ; 
physicians were forbidden to practice medicine, 
lest they should take money which would other- 
wise go into the coffers of the church. Should 
any man dare to advance learning, or cross the 
beaten paths made by the church, he was led to 
the stake. But it could not always be so. God 



The ear that heareth the reproot 
of life abideth among the wise. 

Prov. IS :3i. 



33. And they that understand 
among the people shall instruct 
many : yet they shall fall by the 
sword, and by fame, by captivity, 
and by spoil, many days. 

Dan. 11:33. 

Precious in the sight of the Lord 
is the death of his saints. 

Ps. 116 : 15. 



The earth helped the woman, 

and the earth opened her mouth, 

and swallowed up the flood which 

the dragon cast^out of his mouth. 

Rev. 12 : 16. 



It shall come to pass, that as ye 
were a curse among the heathen, O 
house of Judah, and house of 
Israel : so will I save you, and ye 
shall be a blessing : fear not, but 
let your hands be strong. ' 

Zech. 8 : 13. 



34. Now when they shall fall, 
they shall be holpen with a little 
help : but many shall cleave to 
them with flatteries. 

35. And some of them of under- 
standing shall fall, to try them, 
and to purge, and to make them 
white, even to the time of the 
end : because it is yet for a time 
appointed. Dan. 11 : 34, 36. 



In very deed for this cause have 
I raised thee up, for to show m thee 
my power : and that my name may 
be declared throughout all the 
earth. £x. 9 : 16. 

Surely the wrath of man shall 
praise thee : the remainder of wrath 
shalt thou restrain. Ps. 76 : 10. 



272 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



In that day, shall ye say, Praise 
the Lord, call upon his name, de- 
clare his doings among the people, 
make mention that his name is ex- 
alted. Isa. 12 : 4. 



Sing praises to the Lord, which 
dwelleth in Zion : declare among 
the people his doings. When he 
maketh inquisition for blood, he 
remembereth them : he forgetteth 
not the cry of the humble. 

Ps. 9 : II, 12. 





God raiRer' 
tftan men* 

Acta 5 29 



Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy 
voice like a trumpet, and show my 
people their transgression, and the 
house of Jacob their sins. 

Isa. s8 :i. 

Is not my word like as a fire? 
saith the Lord : and like a hammer 
that breaketh the rock in pieces? 
Jer. 23 : 29. 

From a child thou has known 
the holy scriptures, which are able 
to make thee wise unto salvation 
through faith which is in Christ 
Jesus. All scripture is given by 
inspiration of God, and is profita- 
ble for doctrine, for reproof, for 
correction, for instruction in right- 
eousness. 2 Tim. 3 : 15, 16. 

Thou through thy command- 
m nts hast made me wiser than 
mine enemies : for they are ever 
with me. I have more understand- 
ing than all my teachers : for thy 
tesitimonies are my meditation. I 
understand more than the ancients, 
because I keep thy precepts. 

Ps. 1 ig : gS-ioo. 



made use of the Moors, who had accepted 
Mohammedanism, to help deUver His people. 
Schools were established by them in Spain and 
western Asia. The sciences were taught, and 
from these schools the light of learning broke 
into Europe. 

Wycliffe, called "the Morning Star of the 
Reformation," in the fourteenth century trans- 
lated the Bible into English. He wrote tracts 
showing the fallacy of the papal system. In 
England, he like Daniel of old, was in close 
touch with the king, and the light of the gospel 
was having its effect. To the ruler on the 
throne and the students in the universities, 
Wycliffe gave the gospel. His followers, known 
as Lollards, were bitterly persecuted, but never 
wholly exterminated ; and it was their descend- 
ants who, as Puritans, brought Protestantism to 
America. 

Huss and Jerome in Bohemia lifted their 
voices against papal dogmas, and later Luther, 
the German monk, proclaimed liberty of con- 
science and salvation alone by faith in Jesus 
Christ. He had found a copy of the Bible 
chained in a cell of one of the German monas- 
teries, and the spark there kindled, lighted a fire 
which Rome was unable to extinguish. 

The Word of God became the lesson book for 
the German nation. Luther was assisted in his 
work of reform by Melanchthon, the noted 
teacher in Wittenberg. Other schools were 
established throughout Germany ; teachers were 
educated, and before the death of Luther the 
German nation sat at the feet of Protestant 
teachers ; so rapid was the work when the Word 
of God was opened to mankind. The Reforma- 



THE WORK OF THE MYSTERY OF INIQUITY. 273 



tion marched on to victory. Rome retreated 
into narrower and still narrower bounds, not 
before the sword, but before the onward march 
of truth. Into every nation of Europe the light 
shone, and America was founded upon the prin- 
ciples which had their birth in Germany. 

The papacy quivered before the blow ; and 
had each nation accepted the Reformation as it 
came to it, it would have been but a short time 
until history would have been at an end. God 
was in the Reformation, offering to modern na- 
tions the same deliverance which was held out 
to the Jews when they were granted an oppor- 
tunity to return from Babylon to Jerusalem. 
The everlasting covenant was repeated, but men 
in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries 
treated it as the Jews did the decree to leave 
Babylon. When once the principles of the Ref- 
ormation — liberty of conscience and the equal 
rights of all men — were presented to a nation, 
and were refused, that nation sank back into the 
arms of the papacy, and carried to their comple- 
tion the principles of that government. 

Such was the history of France. The expe- 
rience of that nation stands as an object lesson 
to the world. Truth had been proclaimed 
within her borders, but again the papacy rose 
up to do according to his will. It is in that 
country that verses 36-39 of the eleventh chap- 
ter of Daniel were fulfilled. Having rejected 
light, the intensity of the darkness into which 
men fell was beyond description. 

Scott, in the life of Napoleon, speaking of 

France in the year 1793, just a few years before 

the expiration of the allotted time (verse 36), 

says: "The world for the first time heard an 

18 



Keep therefore and do them : for 
this is your wisdom and your un- 
derstanding in the sight of the na- 
tions, which shall hear all these 
statutes. Deut. 4 : 5-7. 

But the path of the just is as the 
shining light, that shineth more 
and more unto the perfect day. 

Prov. 4 : 18. 



I have showed thee new things 
from this time, even hidden things, 
and thou didst not know them. 

Isa. 48 : 6. 



Thus saith the Lord, the Re- 
deemer of Israel, and his Holy 
One, to him whom man despiseth, 
to him whom the nation abhorreth, 
to a servant of rulers, kings shall 
see and arise, princes also shall 
worship, because of the Lord that 
is faithful, and the Holy One of 
Israel, and he shall choose thee. 
Isa. 49 : 7. 



The ox knoweth his owner, and 
the ass his master's crib : but 
Israel doth not know, my people 
doth not consider. Isa. 1:3. 



38. And the king shall do ac- 
cording to his win // and he shall 
exalt himself, and magnify him- 
self above every god, and shall 
speak marvelous things against 
the God of gods, and shall prosper 
till the indignation be accom- 
plished : for that that is deter- 
mined, shall be done. 

Dan. 11 :36. 

How is the faithful city become 
an harlot ! it was full of judgment ; 
righteousness lodged in it ; but now 
murderers. Thy silver is become 
dross, thy wine mixed with water : 
thy princes are rebellious, and com- 
panions of thieves : every one lov- 
eth gifts, and foUoweth after re- 
wards : they judge not the father- 
less, neither doth the cause of the 
widow come unto them. 

Isa. 1 : 21-23. 



274 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



37. Neither shall he regard the 
god of his fathers, nor the desire 
of women, nor regard any god : 
for he shall magnify himself above 
all. 

33. But in his estate shall he 
honor the Ood of forces : and a 
god whom his fathers kneu) not 
shall he honor with gold, and sil- 
ver, and with precious stones, and 
pleasant things. 

39 Thus shall he do in the most 
strongholds with a strange god, 
whom he shall acknowledge and 
increase with glory : and he shall 
cause them to rule over many, and 
shall divide the land for gain. 

Dan. 11 : 37-39. 



The fool hath said in his heart, 
There is no God. Corrupt are they, 
and have done abominable in- 
iquity : there is none that doeth 
good. Ps. 53 : 1. 

Pharaoh said. Who is the Lord, 
that I should obey his voice to let 
Israel go? I know not the Lord, 
neither will I let Israel go. 

Ex. 5:2. 



Shall not the land tremble for 
this, and every one mourn that 
dwelleth therein ? and it shall rise 
up wholly as a flood ; and it shall 
be cast out and drowned, as by the 
flood of Egypt. Amos 8 : 8. 



Woe to her that is filthy and 
polluted, to the oppressing city ! 
She obeyed not the voice ; she re- 
ceived not correction ; she trusted 
not in the Lord : she drew not near 
to her God. Her princes within 
her are roaring lions : her judges 
are evening wolves : they gnaw not 
the bones till the morrow. Her 
prophets are light and treacherous 
persons : her priests have polluted 
the sanctuary, they have done vio- 
lence to the law. Zeph. 3 : 1-4. 



assembly of men, born and educated in civiliza- 
tion, and assuming to govern one of the finest 
European nations, uplift their united voices to 
deny the most solemn truth which man's soul 
receives, and renounce unanimously the belief 
and worship of the Deity." "France stands 
apart in the world's history as the single state 
which, by the decree of her legislative assembly, 
pronounced that there was no God, and of which 
the entire population of the capital, and a vast 
majority elsewhere, women as well as men, 
danced and sang with joy in accepting the an- 
nouncement. This was atheism — the logical 
result of the position taken in Alexandria when 
Christians assumed the garb of pagan philoso- 
phers. God's Word was treated as a product 
of ' the human mind. Atheism in the individ- 
ual is likewise the result of treating the Scrip- 
tures in the same manner." 

Still further quotations from the history of 
those times will show how completely God was 
rejected, and the worship of the human intellect 
was substituted. 

One day '' the doors of the Convention were 
thrown open to a band of musicians, preceded 
by whom the members of the municipal body 
entered in solemn procession, singing a hymn 
in praise of Liberty, and escorting a veiled fe- 
male, whom they termed the * Goddess of Rea- 
son.' " On unveiling the creature, she was 
found to be a prostitute opera singer. This was 
the fittest representation France could find of 
the reason which she exalted. Perhaps it was 
hard to understand, when noting the policy of 
Greece in elevating human reason, what the re- 
sult of such a course would be. The history of 



THE WORK OF THE MYSTERY OF INIQUITY. 275 



France in the days of the Revolution is a thor- 
ough exemplification of that result. 

Men to-day exalt reason above God ; they 
deign to give private interpretation to the divine 
Word: they offer all sorts of theories contra- 
dictory to a *'thus saith the Lord," and even 
professed Christians follow the Greek intellect, 
studying the philosophy themselves, and teach- 
ing it to their children, apparently unconscious 
of the fact that this is papal and only papal, and 
that its ultimate result may be read in the awful 
annals of France. 

Having enthroned the " Goddess of Reason," 
France passed laws which clearly reveal the 
result of such worship. The two institutions 
which date back to Eden, and which are insep- 
arably connected with the worship of Jehovah, 
were defamed. The week was changed by a 
decree so as to completely abolish all resem- 
blance to former times, and for a brief space 
France rested one day in ten instead of observ- 
ing the weekly Sabbath. The law of marriage 
was repealed, and that safeguard to society com- 
pletely disregarded. 

The papacy in France was fast paving the 
road to self-annihilation. Human intellect wor- 
shiped brings death. The French Revolution 
of 1798, the Massacre of St. Bartholomew, and 
the Reign of Terror tell the dreadful story of 
destruction. The entire history of this period is 
an object lesson to the world of the final de- 
struction of nations when the Spirit of God is 
withdrawn, because those in authority refuse to 
worship Jehovah, choosing rather to exalt the 
** Goddess of Reason." 

Complete overthrow stared France in the face 



Casting down reasonings and 
every thing that exalteth itself 
against the knowledge of God, and 
bringing into captivity every 
thought to the obedience of Christ. 
2 Cor. 10 : 5 [margin]. 



His mischief shall return upon 
his own head, and his violent deal- 
ing shall come down upon his own 
pate. I will praise the Lord ac- 
cording to his righteousness : and 
will sing praise to the name of the 
Lord most high. Ps. 7 : 16, 17. 



Your words have been stout 
against me, saith the Lord. Yet 
ye say. What have we spoken so 
much against thee ? Ye have said, 
It is vain to serve God : and what 
profit is it that we have kept his 
ordinance, and that we have walked 
mournfully before the Lord of 
hosts? Mai. 3 : 13-15. 

Because they had not executed 
my judgments, but had despised 
my statutes, and had polluted my 
sabbaths, and their eyes were after 
their fathers' idols Eze. 20 : 24. 

What evil thing is this that ye 
do, and profane the Sabbath day? 
Did not your fathers thus, and did 
not our God bring all this evil 
upon us, and upon this city? yet 
ye bring more wrath upon Israel 
by profaning the Sabbath. 

Neh. 13 :i7, 18. 

Thou hast despised mine holy 
things, and hast profaned my sab- 
baths. Eze. 22 :8. 

I Tim. 4 : 1-3. 

In thee have they taken gifts to 
shed blood ; thou hast taken usury 
and increase, and thou hast greed- 
ily gained of thy neighbors by ex- 
tortion, and hast forgotten me, 
saith the Lord God. Behold, there- 
fore I have smitten mine hand at 
thy dishonest gain which thou hast 
made, and at thy blood which hath 
been in the midst of thee. Can 



2/6 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



thine heart endure, or can thy 
hands be strong, in the days that I 
shall deal with thee? I the Lord 
have spoken it, and will do it. 

Eze. 22 : 12-14. 
James i : 15. 

Therefore thus saith the Lord 
God : Because ye have made your 
iniquity to be remembered, in that 
your transgressions are discovered, 
so that in all your doings your 
sins do appear ; because, I say, 
that ye are come to remembrance, 
ye shall be taken with the hand. 
Eze. 21 : 24. 

Jer. 25 : 29-33. 

Behold, these are the ungodly, 
who prosper in the world ; they 
increase in riches. . . . When I 
thought to know this, it was too 
painful for me ; until I went into 
the sanctuary of God ; then under- 
stood I their end. Pa. 73 : 9-17. 

God reigneth over the heathen : 
God sitteth upon the throne of his 
holiness. The princes of the peo- 
ple are gathered together, even the 
people of the God of Abraham : 
for the shields of the earth belong 
unto God : he is greatly exalted. 
Ps. 47 : 8, 9. 

Their inward thought is, that 
their houses shall continue forever, 
and their dwelling places to all 
generations ; they call their lands 
after their own names. Neverthe- 
less man being in honor abideth 
not : he is like the beasts that 
perish. This their way is their 
folly : yet their posterity approve 
their sayings. Ps. 49 : n-13. 

Deut. 28:53-57. 

Job 30 : 3-8. 

Even all nations shall say, 
Wherefore hath the Lord done thus 
unto this land? what meaneth the 
heat of this great anger? Then 
men shall say, Because they have 
forsaken the covenant of the Lord. 
Deut. 2Q :24, 25. 

He ruleth by his power forever : 
his eyes behold the nations : let 
not the rebellious exalt themselves. 
Ps. 66:7. 



until the control of affairs was assumed by the 
young military officer, Napoleon Bonaparte. 
Out of chaos he led the nation through blood- 
shed to a place of honor among the nations of 
Europe. 

The cause of the struggle, which cost thou- 
sands of lives, was the attempt to suppress both 
civil and religious rights. The Reformation in 
Germany in the sixteenth century struck a 
death-blow to feudalism and the monarchy. 
France was the battle-ground where papal tyr- 
anny wrestled with Protestantism and repub- 
licanism. Absolute monarchy always accom- 
panies and supports the policy of the papacy, 
whether in a pagan or a nominally Christian 
nation. Democracy in principle is the form of 
government assumed by any nation when the 
light of truth is accepted. 

When the Reformation was rejected by France, 
the tyranny of the monarchy knew no bounds. 
Two thirds of the land of the state was in the 
hands of the clergy and nobles ; the king passed 
laws taxing his subjects against all protests from 
Parliament ; warrants for arrest and imprison- 
ment were issued by his authority alone ; " fam- 
ine prevailed in every province, and the bark of 
the trees was the daily food for hundreds of 
thousands." The oppression was unendurable, 
and men, frenzied until they were more demon 
than human, rose in revolt. 

In America the principles of the Reformation 
had been put -into practice with comparative 
ease. But France, having once rejected light, 
waded through blood in her demand for freedom. 

Then appeared Napoleon. With the rapid 
movements of a master mind he carried victory 



THE WORK OF THE MYSTERY OF INIQUITY. 277 



for the French arms throughout Europe. The 
army was the controlling element ; nobles and 
clergy were alike powerless, and the common 
people had exhausted themselves without avail 
during the terrors of the past few years. He 
defeated the Austrians and captured Milan ; he 
forced the pope, and various cities of Italy, to 
purchase peace by giving up their art collec- 
tions. He organized a republic in Northern 
Italy, and compelled Austria to cede its Belgian 
provinces to France. He conducted an expedi- 
tion to Egypt, hoping to gain control of the 
eastern Mediterranean. On the way he cap- 
tured Malta, and then gained a victory over the 
Mohammedans of Egypt near the pyramids. 
Near the Nile, however, Bonaparte was met and 
defeated by Lord Nelson, the greatest of En- 
glish naval officers. England, jealous of the 
rapid progress now being made by Napoleon, 
had opposed his progress in Egypt. Later he 
defeated the Turks of Egypt at Aboukir. In 
1 799 a constitution was adopted in France, and 
Napoleon was chosen First Consul, with two 
assistants. France had attempted to copy the 
Constitution of the United States, but the effort 
failed. The constitution of 1799 established a 
centralized government, and deprived the people 
of liberty and self-government. '* Equality, not 
liberty, was all that the cause of France now 
r-epresented." 

The reforms of Napoleon are worthy of ^^^*i 
tice. Says the historian, " He personally par- 
ticipated in the religious ceremonies which 
attended the formal restoration of the old sys- 
tem of worship where the Goddess of Reason 
had been enthroned with atheistic orgies." 



The noise of a multitude in the 
mountains, like as of a great peo- 
ple ; a tumultuous noise of the 
kingdoms of nations gathered to- 
gether : the Lord of hosts muster- 
eth the host of the battle. 

Isa. 13 :4, 5. 

Isa. 8:7. 

I will send him against a hypo- 
critical nation, and against the peo- 
ple of my wrath will I give him a 
charge, to take the spoil, and to 
take the prey, and to tread them 
down like the mire of the streets. 
Howbeit he meaneth not so, nei- 
ther doth iiis heart think so : but it 
is in his heart to destroy and cut 
off nations not a few. For he 
saith, Are not my princes alto- 
gether kings? Is not Calno as 
Carchemish? is not Hamuth as 
Arpad? is not Samaria as Damas- 
cus ? As my hand hath found the 
kingdoms of the idols, and whose 
graven images did excel them of 
Jerusalem and of Samaria. 

Isa. 10 : 6-10. 

Behold, the Lord, the Lord of 
hosts, shall lop tlie bough with 
terror and the high ones of stature 
shall be hewn down, and the 
haughty shall be humbled. And 
he shall cut down the thickest of 
the forest with iron, and Lebanon 
shall fall by a mighty one. 

Isa. 10:33, 34- 

When the Lord shall stretch out 
his hand, both he that helpetb 
shall fall, and he that is holpen 
shall fall down, and they all shall 
fail together. 153.31:3. 

It is a day of trouble, and of 
treading down, and of perplexity 
by the Lord God of hosts in the 
valley of vision, breaking down the 
walls and of crying to the moun- 
tains. Isa. 22 : 5. 

So are the paths of all that for- 
get God ; and the hypocrite's hope 
shall perish. Job 8 : 13. 

He did that which was right in 
the sight of the Lord, but not with 
a perfect heart. 2 Chron, 25 : 2. 



2/8 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



I saw one of his heads as it were 
wounded to death ; and his deadly 
wound was healed : and all the 
world wondered after the beast. 
He that leadeth into captivity shall 
go into captivity : he that killeth 
with the sword must be killed with 
the sword. Here is the patience 
and the faith of the saints. 

Rev. 13 :3, lo. 

Their webs shall not become gar- 
ments, neither shall they cover 
themselves with their works : their 
works are works of iniquity, and 
the act of violence is in their hands. 
Their feet run to evil, and they 
make haste to shed innocent blood : 
their thoughts are thoughts of in- 
iquity ; wasting and destruction are 
in their paths. The way of peace 
they know not ; and there is no 
judgment in their goings; they 
have made them crooked paths : 
whosoever goeth therein shall not 
know peace. Isa. 59 : 6-8. 

Rejoice not thou, whole Pales- 
tina, because the rod of him that 
smote thee is broken : for out of 
the serpent's root shall come forth 
a cockatrice, and his fruit shall be 
a fiery flying serpent. 

Isa. 14 •. 29. 



40. And at the time of the end 
shall the king of the south push 
at him ; and the king of the notth 
shall come against him like a 
whirlwind, with chariots, and 
with horsemen, and with many 
ships; and he shall enter into the 
countries, and shall overflow and 
pass over. Dan. 11 .40. 



Hast thou not heard long ago, 
how 1 have done it : and of ancient 
times, that I have formed it.? now 
have I brought it to pass, that thou 
shouldest be to lay waste defensed 
cities into ruinous heaps. 

Isa. 37 ;26. 



" Full toleration was secured for non-Catholics." 
It was Berthier, who in 1798 made the pope a 
prisoner, thus fulfilling the prophecy concerning 
the 1 260 years of papal supremacy. 

The reforms of Napoleon, however, tended 
only toward monarchy, and while the people 
pleaded for republicanism, the pride of the man 
overruled, and he bent his energies toward his 
own exaltation. He was proclaimed emperor in 
1804, and, in imitation of Charlemagne, he re- 
ceived a crown from Pope Pius VII in Notre 
Dame. Freedom seemed again to be defeated. 
Partial acceptance of truth brings only tyranny. 
This is individual as well as national experience. 

The establishment of the principles of the 
Reformation, as seen in the adoption of the 
Constitution of the United States, was the result 
of Puritan faith and courage to follow in that 
light which led away from the papacy. The 
struggle of France is a warning to those who 
see no harm in harboring the principles of anti- 
christ, or those who, having known the truth of 
civil and religious liberty, turn again to the 
bondage of error. 

At the time of the end (1798), the kings of 
the north and the south again contended. From 
the founding of Constantinople by Constantine 
in 330, the power which held that city had 
maintained control of the Mediterranean, for 
Constantinople is recognized by all nations as 
tV key to both Asia and Europe. In the time 
of ^ t>ie end, history will again center about this 
city. 

As in times past, so again we are obliged to 
trace far back to find the source of events 
which now appear in full view. About the time 



THE WORK OF THE MYSTERY OF INIQUITY. 279 




God is most srreat; 
Mohammed is God's apostle. 
Come to prayer ; 

Come to security." 



The Mohammedan 
day-call to prayer. 



280 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



He opened the bottomless pit ; 
and there arose a smoke out of the 
pit, as the smoke of a great fur- 
nace ; and the sun and the air were 
darkened by reason of the smoke 
of the pit. And there came out of 
the smoke locusts upon the earth : 
and unto them was given power, as 
the scorpions of the earth have 
power. Rev. 9:2, 3. 

The spirit of Egypt shall fail in 
the midst thereof ; and I will de- 
stroy the counsel thereof : and they 
shall seek to the idols, and to the 
charmers, and to them that have 
familiar spirits, and to the wizards. 
And the Egyptians will I give over 
into the hand of a cruel lord ; and a 
fierce king shall rule over them, 




of our j^mtFt. 



saith the Lord, the Lord of hosts. 
Isa. 19:3, 4. 

The nations shall rush like the 
rushing of many waters : but God 
shall rebuke them, and they shall 
flee far off, and shall be chased as 
the chaff of the mountains before 
the wind, and like a rolling thing 
before the whirlwind. 

Isa. 17 : 13. 

Will cause many nations to come 
up against thee, as the sea causeth 
his waves to come up. 

Eze. 26 :3. 

She is broken that was the gates 
of the people. Eze. 26 : 2. 

Set thee up waymarks, make thee 
high heaps : set thine heart toward 
the highway, even the way which 
thou wentest. Jer. 31 :2i. 

Enlarge the place of thy tent, 
and let them stretch forth the cur- 
tains of thine habitations ; spare 



that the papacy was growing into a full-fledged 
monarchy, recognized among nations of the 
earth, another power had birth. This new 
work of Satan came in the form of Moham- 
medanism, which to-day holds about one-sixth 
of the world's population in its grasp. The 
new doctrine originated in Arabia, from whence 
it spread as a smoke from the bottomless pit. 
Syria fell under its power, but Egypt became 
the center of its influence. The banks of the 
Nile have fed every form of idolatry. 

Mohammedanism is but another form of 
Egyptian darkness. By the power of the 
sword the followers of Mo- 
hammed strove to enter Eu-, 
rope. The western horn of the 
Crescent, the Moslem symbol, 
was extended into Spain in the 
early part of the eighth century, 
and for a time all Europe was threat- 
ened, but the battle of Tours (732) stopped 
the progress of the conquerors. In 1453, how- 
ever, Constantinople was captured, and has 
since remained in the hands of the Turks, the 
boldest advocates of the doctrine of Mohammed. 
As the founding of Constantinople is a guide- 
post in history, so the capture of that city in 
1453 is another landmark. One of the great- 
est checks received by the papacy was due to 
the influx into Italy of Greek scholars, driven 
from Constantinople by the incoming Moham- 
medans. The discovery of America was due 
to the closing of the eastern passage to the 
rich islands of the Indian Ocean by the Mo- 
hammedans in . Constantinople and Asia Minor, 
and so in more ways than is usually thought. 



THE WORK OF THE MYSTERY OF INIQUITY. 281 



God worked to advance truth through those 
who were ignorant of His truth. 

God's plans are never defeated. While Satan 
closed the passage to the eastern world, God 
used that act as a key to open the door to the 
great western world. Thus it is in the Lord's 
work, from seeming defeat often comes the great- 
est victory. When the Saviour hung upon the 
cross, Satan exulted ; but what he thought to 
be the hour of his greatest triumph proved to 
be but the death knell of his eternal ruin. The 
cross was the Saviour's greatest victory, and 
will be the science and song of the redeemed 
throughout the ceaseless ages of eternity. 

Not only Egypt, but Syria and Turkey in 
Europe, belong to the Mohammedans, and he 
has entered the '* glorious land," and a Moslem 
mosque occupies the site where once stood the 
temple of Solomon. This spot where Abraham 
offered Isaac, and David met the Lord, is sacred 
to every child of God; but it will be held by 
unholy hands until " He comes whose right it is 
to rule." Edom, Moab, and Ammon, however, 
escaped the hand of this conquering power, and 
these countries receive an annual tribute from 
the Turks who pass in caravans on their way to 
Mecca. 

The ambition of Napoleon to establish the 
authority of Europe in Egypt might have been 
the beginning of the last struggle between the 
north and the south. Even in his day Russia 
and France made friends, but the time had not 
yet come for the Turk to take his departure 
from Europe, and England took the part of 
Egypt against the arms of Napoleon. Napoleon 
recognized the strength of Constantinople, so 



The Lord shall go forth as a 
mighty man, he shall stir up jeal- 
ousy like a man of war : he shall 
cry, yea, roar ; he shall prevail 
against his enemies. Isa. 42 : 13. 



The one preach Christ of con- 
tention, not sincerely, supposing to 
add affliction to my bonds : what 
then? notwithstanding, every way, 
whether in pretence, or in truth, 
Christ is preached ; and I therein 
do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice. 
Phil. I : 16-19. 



41. He shall enter also into the 
glorious land, and many countries 
shall be overthrown : but these 
shall escape out of his hand, even 
Edom, and Moab, and the chief of 
the children of Ammon. 

42. He shall stretch forth his 
hand also upon the countries : and 
the land of Egypt shall not es- 
cape. • 

43. But he shall have power 
over the treasures of gold and of 
silver, and over all the precious 
things of Egypt: and the Libyans 
and the Ethiopians shall be at his 
steps. Dan. 11 :41, 43. 



Distress not the Moabites, nei- 
ther contend with them in battle : 
for I will not give thee of their 
land for a possession. 

Deut. 2 :6, 9. 



Associate yourselves, O ye peo- 
ple, and ye shall be broken in 
pieces ; and give ear, all ye of far 
countries : gird yourselves, and ye 
shall be broken in pieces : gird 
yourselves, and ye shall be broken 
in pieces. Take counsel together, 
and it shall c®me to nought ; speak 
the word, and it shall not stand ; 
for God is with us. Isa. 8 : 9, 10. 



282 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 




44. But tidings out of the east 
and out of the north shall trouble 
him : therefore he shall go forth 
with great fury to destroy, and 
utterly to make away many. 

45. And he shall plant th& tab- 
ernacles of his palace between the 
seas in the glorious holy moun- 
tain : yet he shall come to his 
end, and none shall help him. 

Dan. 11 : 44-45. 




also did Russia, and there has been constant 
jealousy among the nations of Europe lest one 
should outwit the others, and become the pos- 
sessor of that stronghold. 

Every eye is centered on that spot, and has 
been for years. Turkey is known universally as 
the "Sick Man of the East,", and the only rea- 
son he does not die is because intoxicants are 
administered, figuratively speaking, first by one 
nation then by another. The time will come 
when he will remove from Constantinople, and 
take up his abode in Palestine ; that is, plant his 
tabernacles between the Mediterranean and Red 
Seas. Even the Turks themselves are looking 
forward to the time when they will have to re- 
move their capital from Constantinople to Jeru- 
salem. Time and again the world has been 
brought to realize that the end of all things 
is near at hand, for all know that when the 
Turk steps out of Constantinople, there will be 
a general breaking up of Europe. They may 
not name this impending conflict the battle of 
Armageddon, but God has so named it. In the 
Crimean war of 185 3-1 8 56, the world trembled 
for Turkey, and, lesf the crisis should be pre- 
cipitated, England and France came to the res- 
cue, and Russia was bidden to stand back. In 
the Russo-Turkish war of 1877, the powers of 
Europe united to sustain the life of the sick man. 

" I saw four angels standing on the four cor- 
ners of the earth, holding the four winds of the 
earth, that the winds should not blow on the 
earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree, and I 
saw another angel ascending from the east, hav- 
ing the seal of the living God ; and he cried with 
a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was 



THE WORK OF THE MYSTERY OF INIQUITY. 283 



given to hurt the earth and the sea saying, ' Hurt 
not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, 
till we have sealed the servants of our God in 
their foreheads." These angels now hold the 
winds of strife, waiting for the church of God 
to prepare for His coming. The sealing angel 
goes through Jerusalem (the church) to place 
the seal of the living God on the foreheads of 
the faithful, and while this work goes forward, 
Turkey stands as a national guide-post to the 
world, that men may know what is going on in 
the sanctuary above. 

God's eye is upon His people, and He never 
leaves Himself without a witness in the world. 
No man knows when Turkey will take its de- 
parture from Europe, but when that move is 
made, earth's history will be short. Then the 
sealing angel that was commissioned to seal the 
servants of God wiU return" to heaven with 
the message, " I have done as Thou hast com- 
manded me." Our great High Priest will then 
cast His censer into the earth, and pronounce 
the irrevocable sentence, "He that is unjust, 
let him be unjust still : and he which is filthy, 
let him be filthy still: and he that is right- 
eous, let him be righteous still : and he that is 
holy, let him be holy still." To-day is " the day 
of preparation." The fate of Babylon, Medo- 
Persia, Greece, and Rome is recorded for the 
edification of the nations of to-day, and the les- 
sons taught by all center in the events just 
before us. While the world watches Turkey, 
let the servant of God watch the movements 
of His great High Priest whose ministry for sin 
is almost over. 




I saw four angels standing on the 
four comers of the earth, holding 
the four winds of the earth, that 
the winds should not blow on the 
earth, nor on the sea, nor on any 
tree. And I saw another angel 
ascending from the east, having the 
seal of the living God : and he 
cried with a loud voice to the four 
angels. Rev. 7:1,2. 





CHAPTER XVIII. 



THE CLOSING SCENE. 



Dan. lo : 11-19. 
Dan. 2 isi-^s. 
Dan. 7 : 1-27. 
Dan. 8 : 1-27. 
Dan. 9 : 24-27. 
Dan. II : 1-45. 

There is a God in heaven that 
revealeth secrets, and maketh 
known to the king Nebuchadnezzar 
what shall be in the latter days. 
Dan. 2 : 28. 

Dan. 10 : 14. 
Dan. 12 : 13. 
Dan. 8 : 17. 
Dan. II : 35. 

284 



Daniel, the man greatly beloved of God, was 
several times given a view of the history of the 
world ; but the last vision covered the whole 
period in detail, and Gabriel did not leave the 
prophet until he had revealed to him the consum- 
mation of all things. Daniel is a latter-day 
prophet, and gave a history of the period inter- 
vening between his own day and the present 
time, but it was upon the closing events that 
special emphasis was laid. Four times in his 
prophecies the expression, "time of the end," 
is repeated; "the latter days" is used twice 



THE CLOSING SCENE. 



285 



and the expressions **the end of the indigna- 
tion" and "for many days " each appear once, 
the closing words of Gabriel were, " Thou shalt 
rest and stand in thy lot at the end of the 
days." Thus nine times in the course of the 
book, attention is called to the fact that the 
prophecy pointed directly to the closing history 
of this world. 

When the last vision began, the prophet was 
beside the River Tigris. It was the third year 
of the sole reign of Cyrus, the Persian. Be- 
ginning with the times in which he lived, Ga- 
briel carried the prophet through the history 
of Persia ; he spread out before his vision the 
conquests of Alexander and the division of his 
empire ; he saw the workings of Greek litera- 
ture and art, and watched this influence spread 
into Italy, there moulding the fourth kingdom, 
and finally blending with the truth in such a 
manner as to form the papacy. Daniel saw 
antichrist upheld by arms on the throne of 
Rome ; he was carried through the Dark Ages ; 
he watched, and lo, the darkness scattered be- 
fore the truth as proclaimed by the Reformers. 
Like a sudden clearing after a storm, the clouds 
rolled back, and the Sun of Righteousness shone 
forth ; but again the darkness gathered, and 
France, that nation of Europe which was a bat- 
tle-field where Protestantism contended with the 
papacy, almost ceased to exist, so bitter was the 
struggle between the principles of truth and 
of error. 

The very existence of God was denied, and 
for a time eternal ruin hung like a pall over that 
country. God's wrath was stayed, but as a per- 
son stricken by some loathsome disease may 



Dan. 12 :4, 9. 
Dan. 8 : iq. 

Yea, saith the Spirit, that they 
may rest from their labors ; and 
their works do follow them. 

Rev. 14: 13. 



In the third year of Cyrus king 
of Persia a thing was revealed unto 
Daniel, whose name was called 
Belteshazzar ; and the thing was 
true, but the time appointed was 
long : and he understood the thing 
and had understanding of the 
vision. . . . And in the four and 
twentieth day of the first month, 
as I was by the side of the great 
river, which is Hiddekel. 

Dan. 10 : I, 4. 



Surely the Lord God will do 
nothing, but he revealeth his secret 
unto his servants the prophets. 

Amos 3:7. 

The secret things belong unto 
the Lord our God : but those things 
which are revealed belong unto us 
and to our children forever, that 
we may do all the words of this 
law. Deut. 29 : 29. 

Ye were sometimes darkness, but 
now are ye light in the Lord : walk 
as ctiildren of light. . . . And 
have no fellowship with the un- 
fruitful works of darkness, but 
rather reprove them. 

Eph. 5:8, II. 

Unto you that fear my name 
shall the Sun of righteousness arise 
with healing in his wings. 

Mai. 4 : 2. 



The great city, which spiritually 
is called Sodom and Egypt, where 
also our Lord was crucified. 

Rev. II :8. 



286 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



This I say therefore, and testify 
in the Lord, that ye henceforth 
walk not as other Gentiles walk, in 
the vanity of their mind, having 
the understanding darkened, being 
alienated from the life of God 
through the ignorance that is in 
them, because of the blindness of 
their heart. Who being past feel- 
ing have given themselves over 
unto lasciviousness, to work all un- 
cleanness with greediness. 

Eph. 4 : 17-ig. 

The sixth angel poured out his 
vial upon the great river Eu- 
phrates ; and the water thereof was 
dried up, that the way of the kings 
of the east might be prepared. 

Rev. 16 : 12. 

He shall plant the tabernacles of 
his palace between the seas in the 
glorious holy mountain ; yet he 
shall come to his end, and none 
shall help him. Dan. 11 : 45. 



I answered again, and said unto 
him. What be these two olive 
branches which through the two 
golden pipes empty the golden oil 
out of themselves? Zech. 4 : 12. 

I , even I only, am left : and they 
seek my life, to take it away. . . . 
Yet I have left me seven thousand 
in Israel, all the knees which have 
not bowed unto Baal, and every 
mouth which hath not kissed him. 
I Kings 19 : 14, 18. 



Then shall we know, if we fol- 
low on to know the Lord : his going 
forth is prepared as the morning. 
Hosea6:3. 

Your iniquities have separated 
between you and your God, and 
your sins have hid his face from 
you. Isa. 59:2. 

The path of the just is as the 
shining light, that shineth more 
and more unto the perfect day. 

Prov. 4:18. 

Dan. 8 : 14. 



live, yet ever bear in his body the effects of the 
illness, so France coming out of the struggle is 
still scarred with the awfulness of her sin. The 
prophetic guide carried the prophet still farther, 
and revealed the contest between modem na- 
tions ; he saw the final struggle between the 
north and the south, and pointed to Constanti- 
nople as the seat of contention in the last days. 
Nations should turn their gaze toward the pres- 
ent occupants of that city and patiently await 
the removal of the Turk into the "glorious 
land." For "he shair come to his end and 
none shall help him." 

The prophet had watched with intense in- 
terest the people upon whom had shone the 
light of heaven. From Babylon to the end of 
time a golden stream connected heaven and 
earth, as if the heavens were open and the dove 
of peace was descending. At times the stream 
narrowed to a mere hair-line of light, but it was 
never wholly extinguished ; then the prophet 
saw it broaden until it lightened the whole world. 

That light followed the Jews for hundreds of 
years, but in the days preceding the Saviour's 
birth there were but a few souls that bound 
earth and heaven together. With the advent of 
Christ a flood of light filled the earth, but again 
the darkness almost covered the face of the sun. 
The streams of light were numerous as the 
Christians scattered throughout the earth, but 
gradually as the prophet followed these in vision, 
they grew dim and dimmer. In the days of 
Luther and the Reformers the stream widened, 
and again the light flashed like streaks of light- 
ning, piercing the darkness. But days of clear 
shining were comparatively few. 



THE CLOSING SCENE. 



287 



The close of the prophetic period of 2300 
days brought men to important changes in the 
heavenly sanctuary. Through all time Christ 
had pleaded for His people, and whether they 
were many or few, His love was always the 
same. Finally the great High Priest entered 
within the holy of holies. To Daniel the scene 
of the investigative judgment had been revealed. 
He had seen the Son approach the Ancient of 




With the advent of Christ a flood of .light filled the earth. 

Days ; the books of heaven were opened and 
the records examined. Over and over again 
the nail-pierced hands had been raised before the 
great Judge, as the name of some repentant 
soul was read, and the Intercessor had cried, 
" Pardon, Father ! My blood ! My blood," and 
the scarred character, the marred record, was 
covered by the life of the Son of Man. Daniel 
had seen this. He knew that God's people 



The temple of God was opened 
in heaven, and there was seen in 
his temple the ark of his testament. 
Rev. II : 19. 

The Lord hath appeared of old 
unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved 
thee with an everlasting love : 
therefore with lovingkindness have 
I drawn thee. Jer. 31:3. 

The Ancient of Days did sit. 
. . . The judgment was set, and 
the books were opened. 

Dan. 7 :9, 10. 



She brought forth her firstborn 
son, and wrapped him in swaddling 
clothes, and laid him in a manger ; 
because there was no room for 
them in the inn. And there were 
in the same country shepherds 
abidmg in the field, keeping watch 
over their flock by night. And, lb, 
the angel of the Lord came upon 
them, and the glory of the Lord 
shone round about them ; and they 
were sore afraid. And the angel 
said unto them. Fear not : for, be- 
hold, I bring you good tidings of 
great joy, which shall be to all 
people. For unto you is bom this 
day in the city of David a Saviour, 
which is Christ the Lord. And this 
shall be a sign unto yon ; Ye shall 
find the babe wrapped in swaddling 
clothes, lying in a manger. 

Luke 2 :j-i2. 



He that overcome th, the same 
shall be clothed in white raiment : 
and I will not blot out his name 
out of the book of life, but I will 
confess his name before my Father, 
and before his angels. 

Rev. 3 : 5. 

Behold, I have graven thee upon 
the palms of my hands ; thy walls 
are continually before me. 

Isa. 49 : 16. 

He hath clothed me with the gar- 
ments of salvation, he hath covered 
me with the robe of righteousness. 
Isa. 61 : 10. 



288 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



When they shall say, Peace and 
safety ; then sudden destruction 
Cometh upon thera. 

I Thess. 5:3- 



The Son of man shall send forth 

his angels, and they shall gather 

out of his kingdom all things that 

offend, and them which do iniquity. 

Matt. 13:41. 



X 



^^^ 



TTIany qf 
tRcm that 
^leep in 

tfte du^t 
, ijrtBecatlR 
'^naffauiaTiii 
/^omc to 
everTa^tittg 
I\fe, ancC 
^'ometo^name 
and eN?i*r- 
rag^ting ccm- 
r tetnpt. 



7. And at that time shall Michael 
stand up, the great prince which 
standeth for the children of thy 
people : and there shall be a time 
of trouble, such as never was 
since there was a nation even to 
that same time : and at that time 
thy people shall be delivered, every 
one that shall be found 'vritten in 
the book. Dan. 12 : 1. 

Rev. 22 : ir. 
Prov. I : 24-28. 
Gen. 22 : 1, 2. 
Gen. 32 : 24-30. 

Thus saith the Lord : We have 
heard a voice of trembling, of fear, 
aud not of peace. Ask ye now, 
and see whether a man doth travail 
with child? wherefore do I see 



must pass in review before the Judge of worlds, 
but at the end of the last vision there is another 
scene presented. 

While men are watching the movements of 
nations; while they cry, ** Peace and safety," 
and yet prepare for war, the angel of God is seen 
by Daniel to pass through the earth, and place 
a seal upon the foreheads of those to whom 
these heavenly rays extend. So long as the 
angel finds any of these faithful ones, Christ 
still intercedes, but at last the messenger wings 
his way toward heaven. Throughout the vast 
kingdom of Jehovah echoes the sound, "It is 
done," and Christ from the inner sanctuary rises 
and proclaims, "// is done." He lays aside His 
priestly garments, and prepares to set in order 
His kingdom. 

His mediatorial work is over ; the door from 
whence has streamed those rays of light and 
mercy is closed forever. Those who have been 
sealed must now stand wholly by faith, clinging 
to God alone during a " time of trouble such as 
never was since there was a nation." 

Daniel had watched men pass through trials. 
He had seen Israel tried, and men in all ages 
who were true to God tested on the point of 
faith, but in all previous instances the test had 
been lightened by a mediator. Now there is no 
intercessor, and man stands alone. Mercy is no 
longer sheltering him. It is another night in 
Gethsemane, another day of Calvary. 

Again the words are uttered, not by one lone 
man, but by multitudes, "My God, my God, 
why hast thou forsaken me.? " The sweat drops 
of blood roll from other foreheads ; the crown 
of thorns can be pressed unheeded into many a 



THE CLOSING SCENE. 



289 



brow; Calvary^s nails can be driven without 
added pain. The burden of heart-searching is 
great among the faithful few, as they remember 
that one unconfessed sin means death. The 
mother of Zebedee's children asked for her sons 
a place on the right and on the left of the King 
on His throne. The Saviour said that place be- 
longed to him who should drink of the cup of 
which He Himself must drink. That is the cup 
which is drained to the bitter dregs by the rem- 
nant people in the time of trouble, for they are 
the ones who shall occupy the position men- 
tioned by the mother of James and John. 

The faithful sealed followers are not the only 
ones who know that probation has ended, for 
upon the wicked the seventh plague is falling, 
and from it none escape. The time of trouble 
to the wicked will be terrible, for they drink to 
.the dregs the cup of God's wrath. ** A thousand 
shall fall at thy side and ten thousand at thy 
right hand," but the righteous do not feel the 
effects of the plague. The mountains shall 
shake and the islands flee away. Then it is 
that the grave yields up part of its dead. At 
the resurrection of Christ a multitude from all 
ages cam.e from their graves ; they were seen in 
Jerusalem, and presented by Jesus as a wave- 
offering on His return to heaven. 

So just before His second coming the earth 
gives up some of those who have slumbered in 
its bosom. Those who pierced Christ when He 
hung on the cross, those who mocked and de- 
rided Him during His trial, will arise to see 
Him as He comes triumphant with the host of 
heaven. Likewise those who under the last 
message have fallen asleep in Jesus, will come 

19 



every man with his hands on his 
loins, as a woman in travail, and 
all faces are turned into paleness. 
Alas ! for that day is great, so that 
none is like it : it is the time of 
Jacob's trouble ; but he shall be 
saved out of it. Jer. 30 : 5-7. 

In that day there shall be a great 
mourning in Jerusalem, as the 
mourning of Hadadrimmon in the 
valley of Megiddon, And the land 
shall mourn, every family apart. 
. . . All the families that remain, 
every family apart, and their wives 
apart. Zech. 12 : 11-14. 

Are ye able to drink of the cup 
thai I shall drink of, and to be 
baptized with the baptism that I 
am baptized with? And he saith 
unto them. Ye shall drink indeed 
of my cup, and be baptized with 
the baptism that I am baptized with. 
Matt. 20 : 22, 23. 

They that escape of them shall 
escape, and shall be on the moun- 
tains like doves of the valleys, all 
of them mourning, every one for 
his iniquity. Eze. 7 : 16. 

Because thou hast made the 
Lord, which is my refuge, even the 
Most High, thy habitation; there 
shall no evil befall thee, neither 
shall any plague come nigh thy 
dwelling. For he shall give his 
angels charge over thee, to keep 
thee in all thy ways. 

Ps. 91 ig-ii. 

The graves were opened ; and 
many bodies of the saints which 
slept arose, and came out of the 
graves after his resurrection, and 
went into the holy city and ap- 
peared unto many. 

Matt. 27:52, 53. 

Eph. 4:8 [margin]. 

2. And many of them that sleep 
in the dust of the earth shall 
awake, some to everlasting life, 
and some to shame and everlast- 
ing contempt. Dan. 12:2. 

Write, Blessed are the dead 
which die in the Lord from hence- 
forth. Rev. 14 : 13. 



290 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



Whom the Lord shall consume 
with the spirit of his mouth, and 
shall destroy with the brightness of 
his coming. 2 Thess. 2 : 8. 

He was clothed with a vesture 
dipped in blood : and his name is 
called The Word of God. . . . 
And he hath on his vesture and on 
his thigh a name written, KING 
OF KINGS, AND LORD OF 
LORDS. Rev. 19 : 13, 16. 

Isa. 63 ; 1-6. 

The armies which were in heaven 
followed him upon white horses, 
clothed in fine linen, white and 
clean. Rev, 19 : 14. 

His righteousness hath he openly 
showed in the sight of the heathen. 
Ps. 98 : 2. 

All thy commandments are right- 
eousness. Ps. 119:172. 

The bow shall be in the cloud ; 
and I will look upon it, that I may 
remember the everlasting covenant 
between God and every living crea- 
ture of all flesh that is upon the 
earth. Gen. 9 : 16. 

Through the blood of the ever- 
lasting covenant, make you perfect 
in every good work to do his will, 
working in you that which is well- 
pleasing in his sight, through Jesus 
Christ. Heb. 13 : 20, 21. 

Above the firmament that was 
over their heads was the likeness 
of a throne, as the appearance of 
the bow that is in the cloud in the 
day of rain, so was the appearance 
of the brightness round about. 
This was the appearance of the 
likeness of the glory of the Lord. 
Eze. 1 :26, 28. 

Ps. 19 : 1-7. 



He brought him forth abroad, 
and said, Look now toward heaven, 
and tell the stars, if thou be able 
to number them : and he said unto 
him, So shall thy seed be. 

Gen. IS :s. 



forth to welcome Him for whom they looked 
and lived. These come forth to everlasting life, 
but the first class will be slain by the brightness 
of His coming. 

The kingly garments are put on, and the Sav- 
iour prepares to gather His people. Through- 
out heaven the preparation goes on. Angels 
hurry to and fro, and the inhabitants of the un- 
f alien worlds watch with eagerness. As the 
company forms to accompany the King, the law 
of God, the ten commandments, the foundation 
of His throne, is hung upon the sky in view of 
the startled multitudes of earth. ** His right- 
eousness hath He openly showed in the sight of 
the heathen." Men who have scoffed and de- 
rided those who obeyed this law, now see it 
written in the heavens. 

Again the most brilliant rainbow is painted 
on the threatening clouds which overhang the 
earth. Mercy and justice mingled in all God's 
dealings with men until they utterly turned from 
Him. To the waiting company this is a re- 
newal of the everlasting covenant made to the 
fathers that the inheritance should belong to the 
faithful. Over and over again that same sym- 
bol of the everlasting covenant has been hung 
in the sky, but men have not heard the voice of 
Jehovah as He spoke in the bow. "The heav- 
ens declare the glory of God," but while suns, 
planets, and systems have been studied by scien- 
tists, they have failed to see that in them all 
God has pictured the organization of His 
church, and the story of His love to man. 

From the creation of the world, the very order 
and arrangement of the stars have told the plao 
of redemption, but man, devoid of the spirit of 



THE CLOSING SCENE. 



291 




Over and over agrain that same sj^mbol of the everlasting covenant has been hung in the sky. 



truth, can not understand the alphabet of the 
celestial dome ; and while the story has been 
repeated night after night, he has failed to see 
the law of God in the firmament. 

Jehovah to-day points us to the stars that we 
may learn the lesson given to Abraham as he 
called him to his tent door, and traced the prom- 
ise of the Saviour in the sky. The Star rose 
upon Israel, and wise men of the East, inspired 
by God, knew that it was the Christ star. 
Men, using God-given ability, have invented 
wonderful instruments for searching the heav- 
ens, and God has encouraged the effort in hopes 
that it* would lead to an understanding of the 
divine story written there ; but only the very 



The natural man receiveth not 
the things of the Spirit of God: 
for they are foolishness unto him : 
neither can he know them, because 
they are spiritually discerned. 

I Cor. 2 : 14. 



The heavens declare the glory of 
God ; and the firmament sheweth 
his handywork. Ps, 19:1. 



Saying, Where is he that is bom 
King of the Jews ? for we have seen 
his star in the east, and art come to 
worship him. Matt. 2 : 2. 



292 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



Gen. 



17. 



As the host of heaven can not be 
numbered, neither the sand of the 
sea measured : so will I multiply 
the seed of David my servant, and 
the Levites that minister unto me. 
Jer. 33 : 22. 



The heaven departed as a scroll 
when it is rolled together. 

Rev. 6:14. 



All the foundations of the earth 
are out of course. Ps. 82 : 5. 



The Lord himself shall descend 
from heaven with a shout, with the 
voice of the archangel, and with 
the trump of God : and the dead in 
Christ shall rise first. 

I Thess. 3 : 16. 

John 5 : 28, 29. 
Hosea 13 : 14. 

Who shall change our vile body, 
that it may be fashioned like unto 
his glorious body. Phil. 3 :2i. 

Then we which are alive and re- 
main shall be caught up together 
with them in the clouds, to meet 
the Lord in the air : and so shall 
we ever be with the Lord. 

I Thess. 4 : 17. 

He shall send his angels with a 
great sound of a trumpet, and they 
shall gather together his elect from 
the four winds, from one end of 
heaven to the other. 

Matt. 24:30, 31. 

I go to prepare a place for you. 
And if I go and prepare a place for 
you, I will come again, and receive 
you unto myself ; that where I am, 
there ye may be also. 

John 14:2, 3. 



few have seen or heard the spiritual lesson which 
was taught. 

As each sun is encircled by the worlds of its 
system, so each teacher of righteousness saved 
in the kingdom of God will be encircled by 
those saved by his efforts, and as every group 
of heavenly bodies with its suns revolves 
around one spot in the heavens, so all the re- 
deemed will be gathered around Christ, the Sav- 
iour of mankind. 

Daniel watched as Gabriel proceeded, and he 
saw the heavens depart as a scroll ; he saw the 
sun burst forth in all its glory at midnight, a 
herald of the Sun of Righteousness. He heard 
the voice of the trumpeter as the sound rolled 
through the earth; he saw the righteous dead 
come forth in answer to tne call of the God of 
heaven. They come forth glorified ; the power 
of the grave is broken ; the grave can not hold 
them. The whole earth resounds with a mighty 
shout of triumph as they rise to meet the Lord 
in the air. Multitudes from the days of Adam 
down to the end of time mingle with that little 
company who on earth were waiting and watch- 
ing for His appearing. Together they pass to- 
ward the gates of heaven. The advance guard 
throw open the pearly gates, and again the angel 
choir chant the wonderful hallelujah which was 
sung when Christ returned with the little com- 
pany on the day of His ascension. 

From without come the words, " Lift up your 
heads, O ye gates ; and be ye uplifted, ye ever- 
lasting doors ; that the King of glory may enter 
through." From within rings forth the chal- 
lenge : '* Who is this king of glory .? " 

The accompanying host reply : — 



THE CLOSING SCENE. 



293 



** Jehovah, mighty and victorious ; 

Jehovah, victorious in battle, 

Lift up your heads, O ye gates ; 

And be ye uplifted, O everlasting doors ; 

That the King of glory may enter 
through." 
** And I looked, and lo, a Lamb stood on the 
mount Sion, and with Him an hundred forty and 
four thousand." In a hollow square before the 
throne are clustered those who were living when 
the Son of Man came in power. As they see 
the Lamb slain from the foundation of the 
world, a song of triumph bursts from their 
lips. Heaven's arches ring, and, wonder of won- 
ders, they whose experiences have seemed so 
varied, they who have been separated, crushed, 
degraded, upon whom sin had once placed its 
terrible hand, find that their voices blend in per- 
fect harmony, and the song they sing is one of 
such pathos, such depths of joy and gratitude, 
that none others can join with them. Praise 
rings throughout heaven. Christ's image and 
character are perfectly reflected by this com- 
pany. From the deepest depths of sin they 
have been raised to the pinnacle of heaven, 
each, like a stone in the Master's crown, re- 
flecting His character at some certain angle. 
The one hundred and forty-four thousand to- 
gether complete the circle of perfection. 

In addition to this company, who act hence- 
forth as the bodyguard of the King, taking the 
place which had been vacant since the fall of 
Satan and his angels, was seen another company 
composed of those who were martyrs, and those 
who had been snatched from the pit of ruin. 
And again there is seen an innumerable com- 



Lift up your heads, O ye gates ; 
and be ye lift up, ye everlasting 
doors ; and the King of glory shall 
come in. Who is this King of 
glory? The Lord strong and 
mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. 
Lift up your heads, O ye gates ; 
even lift them up, ye everlasting 
doors ; and the King of glory shall 
come in. Who is this King of 
glory? The Lord of hosts, he is 
the King of glory, Selah. 

Ps. 24 : 7-10. 

Rev. 14 : I. 

I saw as it were a sea of glass 

mingled with fire : and them that 

had gotten the victory over the 

beast, and over his image, and over 

his mark, and over the number of 

his name, stand on the sea of glass, 

having the harps of God. 

Rev. IS :2. 
Rev. 13 : 8. 

They sing the song of Moses the 
servant of God, and the song of 
the Lamb. Rev. 15 :3. 

That they all may be one ; as 
thou, Father, art in me, and I in 
thee, that they also may be one in 
us : that the world may believe 
that thou hast sent me. 

John 17 :2i. 

They sung as it were a new song 
before the throne, and before the 
four beasts, and the elders : and no 
man could learn that song but the 
hundred and forty and four thou- 
sand, which were redeemed from 
the earth. Rev. 14 : 3. 

They shall be as the stones of a 
crown, lifted up as an ensign upon 
his land. Zech. 9 : 16. 

Thou shalt also be a crown of 
glory in the hand of the Lord, and 
a royal diadem in the hand of tliy 
God. Isa. 62 : 3. 

They shall be mine, saith the 
Lord of hosts, in that day when I 
make up my jewels. Mai. 3 : 17. 

These are they which follow the 
Lamb whithersoever he goeth. 

Rev. 14:4. 
Zech. 3 : 7. 

Eze. 28 : 16. 



294 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



After this I beheld, and, lo, a 
great multitude, which no man 
could number, of all nations, and 
kindreds, and people, and tongues, 
stood before the throne, and before 
the Limb, clothed with white robes, 
and palms in their hands. 

Rev. 7 :9, lo. 

He shall see of the travail of his 
soul, and shall be satisfied. 

Isa. 53 : II. 

Saying, I will declare thy name 
unto my brethren, in the midst of 
the church will I sing praise unto 
thee. And again, I will put my 
trust in him. And again, Behold, 
I and the children which God hath 
given me. Heb. 2 : 12, 13. 

His brightness was as the light ; 
he had bright beams out of his 
side, and there was the hiding of 
his power, Hab. 3 14. 

3. And they that be wise shall 
shine as the brightness of the 
firmament; and they that turn 
many to righteousness as the stars 
foreuer and ever, Dan. 12 : 3. 

The fruit of the righteous is a 
tree of life : and he that v/inneth 
souls is wise. Prov, 11 : 30. 

Through faith we understand that 
the worlds were framed by the 
word of God, so that things which 
are seen were not made of things 
which do appear. Heb. 11:3. 

He is before all things, and by 
him all things hold together. 

Col. I : 17, R. V. [margin]. 



I will instruct thee and teach 
thee in the way which thou shalt 
go : I will guide thee with mine 
eye. Ps. 32:8. 



The husband is the head of the 
wife, even as Christ is the head of 
the church : and he is the saviour 
ot the body. Eph. 5 : 23. 

And for the precious fruits 
brought forth by the sun, and for 
the precious things put forth by the 
moon. Deut. 33 : 14. 



pany which no man can number, representing 
every nation, tribe, and tongue. 

The number which would have peopled the 
earth had no sin ever entered, is gathered about 
the Father and the Son. Christ looks upon 
them, and in spite of the remembrance of the 
fall, and the pain and sorrow which the plan of 
salvation cost, when He sees the travail of His 
soul. He is satisfied. In the midst of His re- 
deemed church the Saviour breaks forth into 
singing. The thought of sin and sorrow is blot- 
ted out. From the nail-prints in His hands 
stream beams of light which are '* the hiding of 
His power." Heaven bows in adoration, for the 
victory is gained. 

Then it is that Daniel sees the language of 
the heavens interpreted. The universe is com- 
posed of suns, many of them mightier than our 
own, and each sun is the center of a planetary 
system. Each planet is accompanied by its 
satellites, a vast circle within a circle, moving 
in perfect order, performing its revolution in its 
allotted time, making, to the ear of Jehovah, the 
music of the spheres. The im-nensity of space 
is filled with universes, and all revolve about the 
throne of God ; all are held in their orbits by 
rays of power from His throne of life ; each 
shines with a light reflected from Him who is 
the fountain of life ; each is guided in its path 
by the eye of Him who sits on the throne. 

This is the type of God's order for His 
church upon earth. The perfect order of the 
heavenly bodies is a pattern for family and 
church organization. Each little company 
should shine as a star. God looks with pleas- 
ure upon the clusters of worshipers as they 



THE CLOSING SCENE. 



295 



move in perfect order, each bending to the in- 
fluence of the higher powers. As it is the 
power of God in the sun which holds the earth 
in its course, so His power, working through 
the highest organization on earth, controls those 
of smaller power. In the family, children should 
obey parents, and parents should obey God, 
even as the earth follows the sun, and the sun 
circles about its center — God's throne. 

The perfection of this system will characterize 
the last church, which will have developed the 
character that was looked for in ancient Israel. 
God's people are a peculiar people, and their pe- 
culiarities are derived from the virtues of Christ, 
which they reflect ; this fits them to become a 



He cutteth out rivers among the 
rocks ; and his - eye seeth every 
precious thing. Job 28 : 10. 



As also ye have acknowledged us 
in part, that we are your rejoicing, 
even as ye also are ours in the day 
of the Lord Jesus. 

2 Cor. 1 : 14. 

Children obey your parents in 
the Lord : for this is right. 

Eph. 6:1. 



But ye are a chosen generation, a 
royal priesthood, an holy nation, a 
peculiar people ; that ye should 
shew forth the praises of him who 
hath called you out of darkness 
into his marvelous Itght. 

I Peter 2 : 9. 




tCU" 



f3He wi^t ^Kair urufcr^tan^^ 




royal priesthood. To Daniel the angel said, 
"They that be teachers [margin] shall shine 
as the brightness of the firmament." And so 
the prophet had the privilege of seeing a nation 
or company of teachers among the saved, who 
carried forward the work which his own race 
might have done. As Christ was a teacher who 
spoke with authority which none could resist, so 
the remnant church will be teachers by virtue 
of the Christ-life within them. 

It was a beautiful picture, that last scene 
which fell upon the eyes of Daniel. So many 
time disappointment had been the outcome 
when the beginning looked so promising, but in 
the end it is a glorious triumph. Those who are 



What is our hope, or joy, or 
crown of rejoicing? Are not even 
ye in the presence of our Lord Je- 
sus Christ at his coming ? For ye 
are our glory and joy. 

I Thess. 2 : 19, 20, 



Never man spake like this man. 
John 7 146. 



I saw as it were a sea of glass 
mingled with fire : and them that 
had gotten the victory over the 
beast, and over his image, and over 
his mark, and over the number of 
his name, stand on the sea of glass, 
having the harps of God. 

Rev. IS : 2. 

Dan. 10 ;4. 



296 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



Even to the time of the end : be- 
cause it is yet for a time appointed. 
Dan. II :3s. 

He shall . . . wear out the saints 
of the Most High, and think to 
change times and laws : and they 
shall be given into his hand until a 
time and times and the dividing of 
time. Dan. 7 : 25. 

Rev. II : 3. 

The earth helped the woman, and 
the earth opened her mouth, and 
swallowed up the flood which the 
dragon cast out of his mouth. 

Rev. 12 : 16. 



taken from the depths of sin will shine as the 
stars in the firmament. 

"But thou, Daniel, shut up the words, and 
seal the book, even to the time of the end." At 
that time '* many shall run to and fro, and 
knowledge shall be increased." 

The portion of time known as ** the time of 
the end " is as distinctly marked as any other 
prophetic period. At its beginning the hand of 
oppression was removed from the law of God, 




The shield of his mighty men is 
made red, the valiant men are in 
scarlet : the chariots shall be with 
flaming torches in the day of his 
preparation, and the fir trees shall 
be terribly shaken. The chariots 
shall rage in the streets, they shall 
jostle one against another in the 
broad ways : they shall seem like 
torches, they shall run like the 
lightnings. He shall recount his 
worthies : they shall stumble in 
their walk ; they shall make haste 
to the wall thereof, and the defense 
shall be prepared. The gates of 
the rivers shall be opened, and the 
palace shall be dissolved. 

Nahum 2 : 3-6. 



which had been changed, and which, in the lan- 
guage of Revelation, had prophesied clothed in 
sackcloth. At the same time the persecution 
of the saints had ended. Civil and religious 
liberty were standing full-fledged before the 
world, and Gabriel, seeing the freedom granted 
to man, explained the effects by saying, **Many 
shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be in- 
creased." 

Men living to-day see the fulfillment of the 
angel's words. Thousands of miles of railroad 
thread the globe, making it possible for messen- 



THE CLOSING SCENE. 



297 



gers of truth to pass speedily from place to 
place. The ocean, once an almost impassable 
barrier between continents, is now crossed in a 
few days. The printing press daily sends forth 
thousands of tons of matter, so that the ever- 
lasting gospel can be scattered like autumn 
leaves to every nation on the face of the earth. 
The multitude of inventions also astonishes the 
world. Every day witnesses the birth of some 
new convenience. " Men have sought out many 
inventions," and still the work goes on. God 
allows it, that His truth may be spread with 
rapidity, for before His coming every nation, 
kindred, tongue, and people must hear the warn- 
ing message. 

The increased knowledge of the present 
generation is marvelous beyond description. 
There is no realm of science left unexplored. 
This is, that man may be led to see the wonders 
of creation, and so desire to know more of the 
Creator. As the closing of the Bible in the be- 
ginning of the twelve hundred and sixty years 
brought darkness, intellectual and moral, so the 
opening of God's Word has led to intellectual 
as well as moral advancement. From city to 
city messages fly on swifter wings than carrier 
pigeons, while through the mysterious depths of 
old ocean the words of man pass, unheeded by 
the myriads that people the ocean caverns. 

While man looks on in* amazement, angels 
watch with intense interest to see if man will 
co-operate with them in using these vast facili- 
ties to forward the gospel in the earth. 

God from the beginning of earth's history, has 
offered life to that nation which would make His 
Word the basis of its education. The Jews were 



How beautiful upon the moun- 
tains are the feet of him that bring- 
eth good tidings, that publisheth 
peace ; that bringeth good tidings 
of good, that publisheth salvation ; 
that saith unto Zion, Thy God 
reigneth ! Isa. 52 : 7, 

This gospel of the kingdom shall 
be preached in all the world for a 
witness unto all nations ; and then 
shall the end come. 

Matt. 24 : 14. 

Blessed are ye that sow beside 
all waters, that send forth thither 
the feet of the ox and the ass. 

Isa. 32 :2o. 

Lo, this only have I found, that 
God hath made man upright ; but 
they have sought out many inven- 
tions. Eccl. 7 129. 

Jehovah's voice cause th the oaks 
to wither, and denudeth the trees 
of the woods. Surely through this 
his universal temple everything 
speaks of his glory. 

Ps. 29 : 9 [Spurrell's trans.] 

The entrance of thy words giveth 
light ; it giveth understanding unto 
the simple. Ps. 119 : 130. 

Curse not the king, no not in thy 
thought ; and curse not the rich in 
thy bedchamber : for a bird of the 
air shall carry the voice, and that 
which hath wings shall tell the 
matter. Eccl. 10 : 20. 

How then shall they call on him 
in whom they have not believed? 
and how shall they believe in him 
of whom they have not heard? and 
how shall they hear without a 
preacher? And how shall they 
preach, except they be sent ? 

Rom. 10 : 14, 15. 

Only take heed to thyself, and 
keep thy soul diligently, lest thou 
forget the things which thine eyes 
have seen, and lest they depart 
from thy heart all the days of thy 
life : but teach them thy sons and 
thy sons' sons. Deut. 4 : 9. 



298 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



Therefore my people are gone 
into captivity, because they have no 
knowledge : and their honorable 
men are famished, and their multi- 
tude dried up with thirst. 

Isa. 5:13. 

Ye fathers, provoke not your 
children to wrath ; but bring them 
up in the nurture and admonition 
of the Lord. Eph. 6:4. 

4. But thou, Daniel, shut up 
the words, and seal the book, even 
to the time of the end: many 
shall run to and fro, and knowl- 
edge shall be increased. 

Dan. 12:4. 

But Daniel purposed in his heart 
that he would not defile himself 
with the portion of the king's meat, 
nor with the wine which he drank : 
therefore he requested of the prince 
of the eunuchs that he might not 
defile himself. Dan. i :8. 



Take heed to yourselves, lest at 
any time your hearts be over- 
charged with surfeiting, and drunk- 
enness, and cares of this life, and 
so that day come upon you un- 
awares. . . . Watch ye therefore, 
and pray always, that ye may be 
accounted worthy to escape all 
these things that shall come to 
pass, and to stand before the Son 
of man. Luke 21 : 34, 36. 



Here is the patience of the 
saints : here are they that keep the 
commandments of God, and the 
faith of Jesus. Rev. 14 : 12. 



He shall turn the heart of the 
fathers to the children, and the 
heart of the children to their 
fathers, lest I come and smite the 
earth with a curse. Mai. 4 : 6. 

Ye shall not walk in the manners 
of the nation, which I cast out be- 
fore you : for they committed all 
these things, and therefore I ab- 
horred them. Lev. 20 : 23. 



lost as a nation because of the failure to train 
their children according to its sacred truths; 
and when the Christian church inherited the 
promises made to the Israelites, it was upon the 
same condition that they should teach their chil- 
dren all the statutes of Jehovah. 

The time of the end is the period during 
which the remnant people will be developed. 
One great means for their education will be a 
return to true principles of education. 

As Christian education and healthful living 
are revealed in the first glimpse given of the 
prophet Daniel and his work, so, as he is about 
to close his earthly career, as he views the last 
days of earth's history, he is pointed by Christ's 
special messenger to a people who are true to 
those same foundation principles. The people 
who pass safely through the time of . trouble, 
which closes this last prophetic period, will be 
fortified physically by strict obedience through 
faith to all the laws of the physical man. And 
mentally they will be made strong by an educa- 
tion of faith which separates every family from 
the culture of Egypt, Babylon, and Greece, and 
instead turns the hearts of parents to their chil- 
dren, binding them all together in the love of 
Christ. 

The time of the end, the period in which we 
now live, is a time when knowledge shall in- 
crease ; and as the worldly wise trust more and 
more to their own wisdom, the faithful followers 
of God will separate entirely from worldly edu- 
cation. Now is the time for the truly wise to 
shine as the stars whose light is made more ap- 
parent as the darkness of iniquity deepens. It 
is evident that Daniel's whole attention had 



I'O' ERU LLCOHUTlve 




MODERN AUTOMOBILE 




THE FIRST «^ - -ijAir- i£f /'f / /^' 

LOCOMOTtVE "S^^S^^^^- f"^ K-' C 



\ EARLY E«4GLISH 5-iEAMMOTOPCCACH 




>ut tbcu, 

J^^^lnit up tTie iiicn-{^^ ^--^v 
and ,_^eat tlic Sqolc. even ^ 
lo ffic time of tlie end, 
. many ^sTi alt Vim to and 
fro, and Tcncxutcdge 
sliall Be in 
creased 




AMOD£.t<;< .TtAHeR 



r'tOf.f^N PP'.NTING PRR5S 



THE CLOSING SCENE. 



299 



been centered on the events which Gabriel, 
God's historian, had related ; and when the final 
triumph of truth was given, it was shown that 
Christ Himself was near the prophet, and that 
angels of heaven were also listening to the rec- 
ord of events. 

So closely bound to earth are these heavenly 
beings, and so strong are the ties that unite 
their hearts and interests to man, that when 
Gabriel ceased speaking, one angel called to 
Christ, who was again seen on the waters of the 
stream of time : ** How long shall it be to the 
end of these wonders ? " That was the angel's 
question, and Christ Himself made answer. 
Holding up His right hand and His left unto 
heaven. He " sware by Him that liveth forever 
that it shall be for a time, times, and a half." 

Angels have waited six thousand years for 
the completion of the plan ; they have watched 
generation after generation for the final number 
to be made up, and have seen one century after 
another roll round, and still the inhabitants of 
earth loiter. What wonder is it that when the 
end is made known, they call out, "How long 
shall it be to the end .? " 

Daniel had heard this same period mentioned 
by Gabriel, and now it was repeated by Christ, 
but He says, "I heard, but I understood not." 
The prophet's heart was heavy as he followed 
the history of nations to the end of time ; and 
fearing he should still be left in doubt as to the 
time for the fulfillment of all he had seen, like 
Jacob who, in his night of wrestling, clung to the 
angel, he pleaded, " O my Lord, what s/ia/l be 
the end 'of these things .? " No request yet made 
by this man of God had been passed by without 



Let your light so shine before 
men, that they may see your good 
works, and glorify your father 
which is in heaven. Matt. 5 : 16. 



I am with you alway, even unto 
the end of the world. 

Matt. 28 : 20. 

6. Then I Daniel looked, and, 
behold, there stood other two, the 
one on this side of the bank of the 
riuer, and the other on that side 
of the bank of the riuer, 

6. And one said to the man 
clothed in linen, which was upon 
the waters of the riuer. How long 
shall it be to the end of these 
wonders ? Dan, 12 : 5, 6. 



Which things the angels desire 
to look into. i Peter i : 12. 

7. And I heard the man clothed 
in linen, which was upon the wa- 
ters of the riuer, when he held up 
his right hand and his left hand 
unto heauen, and sware by him 
that liueth foreuer that it shall be 
for a time, times, and a half ; and 
when he shall haue accomplished 
to scatter the power of the holy 
people, all these things shall be 
finished. Dan. 12 : 7. 

Ihere came two angels to Sodom 
at even. . . . And while he lin- 
gered, the men laid hold upon his 
hand, and upon the hand of his 
wife, and upon the hand of his two 
daughters ; the Lord being merci- 
ful unto- him : and they brought 
him forth, and set him without the 
city. Gen. 19 : i, 16. 

8: And I heard, but I understood 
not : then said I, my Lord, what 
shall be the end of these things ? 
Dan. 12 : 8. 

I Thess. 5 :4, S- 
Gen. 32 : 24-31. 

9. And he said. Go thy way, 
Daniel : for the words are closed 
up and seated till the time of the 
end. Dan. 12 : 9. 



300 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



The eyes of the Lord are upon 
the righteous, and his eais are open 
unto their cry. Ps. 54 : 15. 

The effectual fervent prayer of 
a righteous man availeth much. 
James 5:16. 

Let thy work appear unto thy 
servants, and thy glory unto their 
children. Ps. 90 : 16. 

O Lord„ revive thy work in the 
midst of the years, in the midst of 
the years make known ; in wrath 
remember mercy. Hab. 3:2. 

Seemeth it a small thing unto 
you to have eaten up the good pas- 
ture, but ye must tread down with 
your feet the residue of your pas- 
tures? and to have drunk of the 
deep waters, but ye must foul the 
residue with your feet ? 

Eze. 34 : 18. 

If thou turn away thy foot from 
the Sabhath, from doing thy pleas- 
ure on my holy day : and call the 
Sabbath a delight, the holy of the 
Lord, honorable ; and shalt honor 
him, not doing thine own ways, nor 
finding thine own pleasure, nor 
speaking thine own words : then 
shalt thou delight thyself in the 
Lord. Isa. 58 : 13, 14. 

He shall speak words against the 
Most High, and wear out the saints 
of the Most High, and think to 
change the times and the law ; and 
they shall be given into his hand, 
until a time and times and half a 
time. Dan. 7 125 R. V. 

The temple of God was opened 
in heaven, and there was seen in 
his temple the ark of his testament. 
Rev. II : 19. 

I saw another angel fly in the 
midst of heaven, having the ever- 
lasting gospel to preach unto them 
that dwell on the earth, and to 
every nation, and kindred, and 
tongue, and people, Rev. 14 : 6. 

10. Many shall be purified, and 
made white, and tried; but the 
wicked shall do wickedly : and 
none of the wicked shall under- 
stand ; but the wise shall under- 
stand. 



an answer. Neither was he now left in igno- 
rance of the time. Gabriel answered the ear- 
nest inquiry in tender tones. Said he : " Go 
thy way, Daniel : for the words are closed up 
and sealed till the time of the end ; " and then 
it was seen that **till the time of the end" 
meant the same as **a time, times, and a half," 
at the end of which period the great persecution 
should cease. 

This prophetic period of twelve hundred and 
sixty years began in 538 ; the law of God was 
changed, and the Sabbath of the decalogue was 
trampled under foot of men. Both the law of 
God and the saints of God were bound for '* a 
time, times, and a half" by the power which 
exalteth itself above Jehovah, as described in 
Dan. 7:25. The persecution tended only to 
scatter the power of the holy people ; and at 
the time of the end both the law of God and 
the people were restored. The " time, times, 
and a half" ended in 1798. Since that time the 
Word of God has been freely circulated among 
the people. The prophecies have been studied, 
the judgment message of the fourteenth chapter 
of Revelation has been proclaimed, and in 1 844, 
at the close of the twenty-three hundred days, 
light shone from the sanctuary above, revealing 
the true Sabbath of the Lord. 

As knowledge has increased, the wonderful 
truths for the time of the end have spread from 
country to country, preparing the way for the 
coming of the Son of Man. 

That the two prophetic periods which had so 
puzzled the mind of the prophet might be more 
perfectly understood, Gabriel said, *' From the 
time that the daily is taken away," that is from 



THE CLOSING SCENE. 



301 




The appearing: of Christ 



508 A. D., "there shall be a thousand two hun- 
dred and ninety days " until the time of the end, 
1798. And again, "Blessed is he that waiteth, 
and Cometh to the thousand three hundred and 
five and thirty days." There is then a blessing 
pronounced upon those who are living in 1843 
( 508 -}- 1335 == 1843 ), for the seal has been 
removed from the prophecies, and they are un- 
derstood. True it is that " many shall be puri- 
fied and made white and tried," and that some 
\\ill not understand, but that does not disprove 
the prophecies, for "the wise shall understand." 
In the time when all may understand some will 
insist that the book of Daniel is still a sealed 
book. The words of Christ and Gabriel witness 
against all such. " Whoso readeth, let him tm- 



77. And from the time that the 
daily sacrifice shall be taken 
away, and the abomination that 
maketh desolate set up, there 
shall be a thousand two hundred 
and ninety days. 

12. Blessed is he that waiteth, 
and Cometh to the thousand three 
hundred and five and thirty days. 
Dan. 12:10-23. 

He hath blessed ; and I can not 
reverse it. Num. 23 : 20. 



Many shall be purified, and made 
white, and tried ; but the wicked 
shall do wickedly : and none of the 
wicked shall understand ; but the 
wise shall understand. 

Dan. 12 : 10, 



The vision of all is become unto 
you as the words of a book that is 
sealed, which men deliver to one 



302 



STORY OF DANIEL THE PROPHET. 



that is learned, saying, Read this, I 
pray thee : and he saith, I can not ; 
for it is sealed : and the book is 
delivered to him that is not learned, 
saying, Read this, I pray thee : 
and he saith, I am not learned. 
Isa. 29 : II, 12. 

I have fought a good fight, I 
have finished my course, I have 
kept the faith. 2 Tim. 4:7,8. 

Thou shalt come to thy grave in 
a full age, like as a shock of com 
Cometh in in his season. 

Job s : 26. 



73, But go thou thy way till 
the end be : for thou shalt rest, 
and stand in thy lot at the end of 
the days. Dan. 12 : 13. 



That he might present it to him- 
self a glorious church, not having 
spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing : 
but that it should be holy and 
without blemish. Eph. 5 : 27. 



derstand!' ** He that hath an ear, let him hear 
what the Spirit saith unto the churches." , 

Daniel's work was over. The story of the 
world was written. His prophecy would stand 
until the end. He slept with his fathers, after 
more than seventy years of faithful service in 
the courts of Babylon and Shushan. Men could 
find no fault with him except concerning the 
law of his God, and Jehovah called him a ** man 
greatly beloved." 

In the last days he stands in his lot as a 
prophet, and the things revealed to him, to- 
gether with the Revelation given to John on 
Patmos, and the warnings sent of God through 
the spirit of prophecy in the remnant church, 
will guide the faithful company of believers 
through the time of trouble, and prepare them 
for the appearing of Christ in the clouds of 
heaven. 



% 



^.. 



:.-i^; 






^ 



-X 




OUTLINE STUDY. 



THE SANCTUARY. 



The heavenly sanctuary is the center of Christ's work for man. The 
destiny of ev^ry soul hangs upon the decisions rendered in that great tribu- 
nal. Whether he is conscious of it or not, that work concerns every soul 
upon the earth. 

The ancient sanctuary service was given as a shadow of the work done 
by Christ for the fallen race, in the heavenly sanctuary. " The whole Jewish 
economy is a compacted prophecy of the gospel. It is the gospel in figures." 
The diagram given on page 309, illustrates this truth. The subjects are not 
exhausted by any means ; but a few texts are given on each subject, that will 
serve as a guide to deeper research for those who wish to see the light that 
flashed from the Levitical laws and sacrificial offerings.- 

All the texts in the diagram are reprinted on the following pages, to- 
gether with the leading thought in the texts. Let the reader ever remember 
that, "The entire system of Judaism was the gospel veiled." 

There are precious views of the work of Christ revealed in the rays of 
light flashing from the Levitical laws and sacrificial offerings, that will well 
repay the student who will search for them. 

Many to-day discard the study of the Levitical laws, because they think 
the gospel has no connection with the Jewish economy. All such would do 
well to ponder prayerfully the last two verses of the fourth chapter of John's 
Gospel. Moses wrote of Christ. Every statement made, every symbol given 
was for the one object ; viz., To reveal a sin-pardoning Redeemer to fallen 
man. Christ said : " If ye believe not his [Moses'] writings how shall ye 
believe My words," . . . "for he wrote of Me ; " also, " If they hear not 
20 303 



304 OUTLINE STUDY. 

Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose trom 
the dead." Luke 16:31. The words are true to-day, and all who will 
study the Levitical laws, believing that the entire system of Judaism reveals 
the gospel of Christ, will find their faith in the Saviour greatly strengthened 
by the study. As they learn to behold Christ revealed in types, shadowed in 
symbols, and manifested in the revelations of the prophets, as fully as in 
the lessons given to the disciples, and in the wonderful miracles wrought for 
the children of men, their hearts will burn within them as He talks with them 
by the way. They will be dwelling upon the same precious truths the Sav- 
iour dwelt upon as he walked with the disciples 'on the waytoEmmaus; 
when, " Beginning at Moses and all the prophets He expounded unto them 
in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself." Luke 24 : 13—31. 

The Second Coming of Christ 

Lev. 16 : 20—25. When the high priest on the day of atonement had made an end of rec- 
onciling, and had placed the sins upon the scapegoat, he laid aside his high priest's 
robe, and went into the court and cleansed it. So Christ, when probation closes, 
lays aside His priestly garments and comes into the antitypical court, the earth, to 
gather out of it all things that offend and do iniquity. Matt. 18 • 41, 

Isa. 63 : 1-6. Christ comes clad in garments of vengeance. 

Rev. 19:16; Zeph. 2:1-3. Christ does not come to the earth in priestly robes; but in 
kingly garments. 

The Millennium 

Lev. 16 : 20-22. The scapegoat was led into a desolate land, a land not inhabited. " Scape- 
goat " is a synonym for evil. 

Job 1 : 7. The earth is the devil's home. 

Jer. 4 : 23-27. The earth will be desolate. When there is " no man," animals, or birds, 
the devil and his angels will be the only life left upon the earth. 

Isa. 24:21, 23; Jer. 4:27. This desolate condition _will only be for a limited period of 
time. 

Eze. 28 : 18, 19. The devil will finally be brought to ashes on the earth. 

Lev. 6 : 9-11. The ashes of the burnt offering left in a clean place, taught the final de- 
structiou of sin and the devil. 

The New Earth 

Gen. 3 : 17. Earth cursed by sin. 

Num. 35 : 33. Curse only removed by the blood of the offending party. 
Lev. 17: 11-13. The blood made atonement for sin. 

Lev. 4 : 7, 18, 25, 30. The blood of every sin offering poured upon the sin-cursed earth, 
taught the cleansing of the earth by the blood of Christ. 



OUTLINE STUDY. 305 

Jer. 9 : 21. The air is laden with disease germs as the result of sin. 

Ex. 15 : 23. The water is affected by the curse. Land, air, and water are all cursed by sin. 

Lev. 14 : 4—7. This offering made provision for the cleansing of the water, air, and ground. 

The blood came in contact with each. It was caught in an earthen vessel held over 

running water ; and the bird flew through the air with blood upon its feathers. 

Hyssop, cedar wood, and wool were dipped in the blood. 
1 Kings 4 : 33. The hyssop and cedar represented the two extremes of vegetation. Dip- 
ping them in the blood was but a type of the vegetation of the whole earth being 

cleansed by the blood of Christ. 
Num. 19 : 6. In this offering the cleansing of the vegetation by fire was also taught. The 

hyssop and cedar wood were burned. 
John 19 : 29. The cross was made of the trees of the forest. Thus the two extremes of 

vegetation, the hyssop and the forest trees, came in contact with the blood of 

Christ. 
Lev. 25 : 23, 24. The land was never sold, but if lost in any way could be redeemed by the 

one nearest of kin that had power to redeem. 
Ruth 2 : 20. Christ is the only one near of kin to humanity that has power to redeem. 

Satan does not own the land; he simply has present possession. Christ alone has 

the right to redeem Adam's lost dominion. 



The Law of God 

Ex. 25 : 21. The ark, the central article of furniture in the sanctuary, was made to con- 
tain the law of God. 
Ex. 31 : 18. The tables were called tables of testimony. 
Rev. 11 : 19. The ark containing the testimony is in the heavenly sanctuary. 



Sabbath 

Ex. 25 : 30. Shewbread was to be continually kept upon the table in the holy place. 

1 Chron. 9 : 32. Every Sabbath the priests were to prepare fresh bread. 

Lev. 24 : 5-9. The bread was made in twelve loaves, placed in two rows upon the table. 

It remained on the table a week, and was then taken off the table and eaten by the 

priests. 
1 Sam. 21 : 6. The fresh bread was taken hot from the oven each Sabbath morning and 

placed upon the table. 
All the work connected with the shewbread was Sabbath work; therefore all the anti- 
typical lessons connected with it are Sabbath lessons. The bread was a type of Christ, 
the "living bread" John 6:51. We as members of the royal priesthood (1 Pet. 2:9) 
should have fresh truth from the Word of God each Sabbath day, and feed upon the truth 
ourselves. 
Rev. 11 : 19. The ark in the most holy place was made to contain the law of God. John 

saw the ark in heaven. The Sabbath commandment, which is the basis of all Sab- 

ba<^h keeping, is the fourth one in the decalogue, and is found in the heavenly ark. 



306 OUTLINE STUDY. 

Repentance 

Every sin offering taught this truth ; for the sinner confessed his sins over the head 
of the sacrifice before its life was taken. 
Lev. 4 : 27-31. Freedom from sin was clearly taught; the sinner's sins were "forgiven 



him. 



Fate of The Wicked 



Psa. 73 : 12-18. When David entered the sanctuary he clearly understood the fate of the 
wicked. The sanctuary service taught it plainly. 

Lev. 3 : 14-17 ; Lev. 16 : 25. All the fat was separated from the sacrifice and burned. 

Psa. 37 : 20. The burning of the fat symbolized the burning of sin and sinners in the fires 
of the last days. 

Lev. 4 : 8-12 ; Lev. 6 : 10, 11. Even the care of the ashes taken from the altar taught that 
important lesson. They were not thrown carelessly aside, but were emptied out on 
a " clean place " prepared for the purpose. 

Mai. 4 : 3. The antitype will be fully met when the fires of the last day have fully con- 
sumed Satan and the wicked, and all that remains of them will be ashes upon the 
" clean " earth. Eze. 28 : 18. 



Christian Help Work 

Ex. 22 : 22-24. God has a special care for the widow and orphans. 

Deut. 14 : 29. One who cares for the stranger, the widow, and orphan will be blessed in 

his work. 
Deut. 24 : 19-22. When the grain was harvested provision was made for the poor. 
Isa. 58 : 7-12. Spiritual and physical health come as the reward of supplying the needs of 

the poor and helpless. 

Spiritual Gifts 

Ex. 28 : 30. The Urim and Thummin were to be placed in the breastplate and worn by the 

high priest. 
Num. 27 : 21 ; 1 Sam. 28 : 6. The high priest learned the mind of the Lord through these 

stones in the breastplate. 
1 Sam. 23 : 9-12. Direct answers were given from God by means of the breastplate, rep- 
resenting the direct communication between God and His people, through the 
prophets. 
" At the right and left of the breastplate were two large stones of great brilliancy. 
These were known as Urim and Thummin. By them the will of God was made known 
through the high priest. When questions were brought for decision before the Lord, a halo 
of light encircling the precious stone at the right was a token of the divine consent or ap- 
proval, while a cloud shadowing the stone at the left was an evidence of denial or disap- 
probation." 



OUTLINE STUDY. 



307 












CV 0/ <o 






















^ ?) X 






^1^^$-5y 






3o8 OUTLINE STUDY. 

Christian Education 

Ex. 12:26, 27. One object of the types and symbols was to arouse an" inquiry in the 

minds of the young, and these questions were to be faithfully answered by the 

parents. 
Ex. 13 : 7, 8, 14. The eating of unleavened bread and the redeeming of the first-born would 

cause the children to inquire why it was done. The instruction given was to be in 

answer to the child's own inquiry. 
Deut. 32 : 7. Instruction was to be received by questions asked parents and elders. It 

was the duty of the parents and elders to faithfully answer these questions. 
Josh. 4 : 6-7. Objects were placed in conspicuous places to arouse the curiosity of the 

children, and the questions were to be faithfully answered. 
Psa. 78 : 6, 7. Faithfulness to God was to be implanted in the child by the instruction 

given by the parents. 
Deut. 4 : 9-13. The knowledge of the events connected with the giving of the law of God, 

was especially mentioned as important in the education of the children. 
Deut. 6 : 7-9. The conversation in the home and while engaged in the daily tasks should 

always be such as will educate the children in the things of God. 

Ministration of Angfels 

Ex. 25 : 20. The golden cherubim were but a shadow or type of the cherubim "that cov- 
ereth " in the sanctuary in heaven. Luke 1 : 19. 

Ex. 36 : 8, 35. Cherubim were wrought in the curtains that served as " veils " and ceiling 
for the earthly sanctuary, and were but a type of the " thousand thousands " and 
" ten thousand times ten thousand " of angels that Daniel beheld in the heavenly 
sanctuary. 

Dan. 7 : 9, 10. To Daniel this vast multitude of angels ministering in the heavenly sanct- 
uary appeared as a " fiery flame." Heb. 1:7; Eze. 1 : 14. 

Baptism 

John. 1 : 25. There was something in the scriptures that taught the people that when the 
forerunner of Christ came he would baptize ; for the people were expecting it. 

Ex. 40 : 12 16. Washing with water was a part of the ceremony in consecrating the priests. 

Ex. 30 : 17-21. Washing with water when they served in the priests' work was so impor- 
tant that " death " was the penalty for neglect. 

1 Cor. 10 : 1, 2. The Lord called the passage through the Red Sea baptism. 

Dress Reform 

Num. 15 : 37-39. Dresses were made in such a manner that as they looked at them they 
were reminded of the commandments of God, and encouraged to obey them. In 
their dress they were not to seek after their own hearts, nor their own eyes. If 
they. did, they would copy the fashions of Babylon. 



OUTLINE STUDY. 309 

Deut. 22 : 5. Women were forbidden to wear masculine attire. 

Lev. 19 : 19. Garments were ever taken as an emblem of the righteousness of Christ, and 
when different substances as linen and wool were mingled it spoiled the figure. 

Isa. 3 : 16-24. Foolish fashions are not confined to modern days, but have been in exist- 
ence from early times. All of the fashions named here, are used in some part of the 
world to-day. When the " daughters of Zion " followed the fashions of the world, 
it caused Zion to sit upon the ground desolate. Isa. 3 : 26. 

1 Pet.3 : 5. It was only a firm trust -in God that enabled the women to dress plainly and 
ignore the fashions of the world. 

1 Tim. 2 J 9. Women should dress in modest apparel. 

Gen. 35 : 1-5. After Jacob's daughter had been disgraced (Gen 34 : 1-5), Jacob drew near 
to God. He then saw that their manner of dressing was like the world, and he 
called upon his family to change their garments and hide their ornaments. 

Josh. 7 : 20, 21, 11. Achan coveted the Babylonish garment and lost his place in Israel. 



Judgment 

Eccl. 12 : 13, 14. The law contained in the ark in the most holy place, is the standard in 
the Judgment. Rom. 2 : 11-13. 

Jer. 17 : 12. The throne of God has ever been connected with the sanctuary in heaven. 

Dan. 7 : 9, 10. Daniel was given a view of the throne of God in the heavenly sanctuary. 
He saw the Great Judge of the univ^se seated upon that throne. In His presence 
the books were opened and every case decided. The sanctuary is the great Judg- 
ment Hall of the universe of God. 



The Lord's Supper 

Gen. 14 : 18. Melchisedec, the great priest king of Salem, gave " bread and wine " to 
Abraham. 

Lev. 7 : 15-21. The "peace offering" shadowed forth the death and resurrection of Christ. 
It was to be eaten on the first and second days ; any one who ate the flesh the third 
day, by that act, virtually said he did not believe that Christ would be alive upon the 
third day. 

Lev. 19 : 5-8. Any one who disregarded this injunction failed to see the object of the serv- 
ice, and thus "profaned the hallowed things of the Lord," and was cut off from 
among the people of God. The peace offering was eaten by all the people. It 
shadowed forth the death of Christ, while the Lord's Supper commemorates it. 

John 11 : 39. Upon the fourth day after death the body had begun to decay. 

Psa. 16 : 9-10. The prophets clearly revealed that Christ's body would not see corruption. 
It would not be in the grave the third day. 

Acts 2 : 24-27, 30, 31. Peter quoted from the sixteenth Psalm to prove the resurrection of 
Christ. The people were familiar with the peace offering, which clearly taught the 
death and resurrection of Christ, and the converting power of God attended his 
words. 



310 OUTLINE STUDY. 

Righteousness by Faith 

Lev. 16 : 13. The incense shielded the priest from death when he went in before the Lord. 
Rev. 8 : 3. [margin]. Incense added to the prayers of the saints makes them acceptable 

to God. 
Note. It was the work of the priest in the daily ministration to present before God 
the blood of the sin offering, also the incense which ascended w^ith the prayers of Israel. 
So did Christ plead His blood before the Father in behalf of sinners, and present before 
Him also, w^ith the precious fragrance of His ,own righteousness, the prayers of penitent 
believers. — " Great Controversy^^ p. 421. 
Deut. 15 : 19, 21. The offerings were to be without blemish, thus represendng the perfect 

life of Christ imputed to us. 
Lev. 22 : 24, 25. If any one offered an imperfect offering it was not accepted. By faith 

they were to see Christ's righteous character in every offering. 

Health Reform 

Lev. 23 : 27, 29. Every man was required to afflict his soul while the work of atonement 
was going forward. All business was to be laid aside, and the whole congregation of 
Israel were to spend the day in solemn humiliation before God, with prayer^ fastings 
and deep searching af heart. " Great Controversy^'' p. ^o. 

Isa. 58 : 5. To fast is to afflict the soul. Th» day of at6nement in the type was a fast day. 
The appetite was held in perfect control, a type of the control of appetite God re- 
quires during the antitypical day of atonement. 

Luke 21 : 34-36. The Saviour says that during the time of the judgment, while individ- 
uals .are being "accounted" worthy or unworthy, we are to take heed least we be- 
come overcharged with surfeiting and drunkenness. Surfeiting is taking too freely 
of food, whether it be good or bad. Drunkenness is partaking of improper food. 
We are to be the master, and not the slave of our appetite. 

Isa. 22 : 12-14. In this period when God calls to self-control, many will give loose reins to 
their appetite. 

Isa. 66 : 15-17. All such will be destroyed, " consumed together saith the Lord." 

Deut. 23 : 12-14. The Lord required strict sanitary arrangements throughout the camp, 
for He walked in the midst of His people. 

Life Only Through Christ 

Lev. 4 : 29. Every sin offering slain, taught that the sinner gained life through the death 

of the offering. A substitute was slain and the sinner lived. 
Rom. 6 : 23. Sin brings death ; freedom from sin, life through the Saviour. 

Tithing 

Lev. 27 : 30-34. The Lord reserved as His own one-tenth of man's income. " The earth 



OUTLINE STUDY. 311 

is the Lord's and the fulness thereof." He has a right to claim a portion of the 

wealth. 
Num. 18 : 20-28. The Lord used the tithe to support His work in the earth. It was given 

to the priests^ and they in turn paid a tithe into the treasury. 
Heb. 7 : 1, 2.~ Abraham paid tithe to Melchisedec. 
Heb. 6 : 20. Jesus is a priest after the order of Melchisedec. 
John 8 : 39. If we are Abraham's seed we will do the works of Abraham — pay our tithe 

to support the work of Christ upon the earth. " Even so hath the Lord ordained 

that they that preach the gospel should live of the gospel." 1 Cor. 9 : 9-14. 

Order 

Num. 4 : 17-20. If those appointed to carry the articles of furniture, went in to look at 
the furniture before it was covered, they were slain. Each was to come in their 
order. The priests were to cover the furniture, then the Kohathites were to bear it. 

1 Sam. 6:19-20. The people were punished with death for disobeying and looking into 

the ark. 

2 Sam. 6 : 6, 7. God commanded that the priests alone should touch the ark. 

2 Sam. 6 : 12, 13. When the ark was carried by the priests according to God's direction 
the Lord blessed them. 

Note. The directions in regard to order in the tabernacle service were recorded that 
lessons might be drawn from it by all who should live upon the earth. Men were selected 
to do various parts of the work of setting up and taking down the tabernacle ; and if one 
strayed in carelessly and put his hands to the work assigned to another, he was to be put 
to death. 

We serve the same God to-day. But the death penalty has been abolished ; had it not 
been, there wonld not be so much careless, disorderly work in His cause. The God of 
heaven is a God of order, and He requires all His followers to have rules and regulations, 
and to preserve order. — " Testimonies for the Churchy'' Vol. V, p .^7^. 




QUESTIONS FOR STUDY. 



Note. — For the benefit of those who may wish to use " The Story of 
Daniel the Prophet " as a text-book in either the family or the school, the 
following questions have been prepared. The questions are arranged in para- 
graphs corresponding with the paragraphs in the book. 



CHAPTER I. 

DANIEL AND HIS FELLOWS TESTED. 

1. How long ago did Daniel live ? What 

is he called ? What should be stud- 
ied? Why? What is contained in 
Daniel's prophecies ? Who bare wit- 
ness to this? Quote the Saviour's 
words in regard to Daniel. What do 
these words contain ? Give the ob- 
ject of the prophecies of Daniel. 

2. What is said of the book of Daniel? 

How long was it sealed ? When did 
the time of the end begin ? Who 
will understand? What is needed 
with the book of Daniel to bring one 
in touch with God? 

3. With what statement does the book of 

Daniel open ? When ? What was 
the result of the siege ? What was 
carried to Babylon ? 

4. Of what was all this the culmination ? 

What is essential ? Of what is this 
captivity an object lesson ? What is 
necessary ? 

5. What was God's design in separating 

the Jewish nation from the rest of 
the world ? To what was Israel com- 
pared? How was the light kept 
burning? When the prophets were 
neglected what was the result ? Why 
was Jerusalem destroyed? What 
proves the truth of the maxim ? 
Why were the Jews restored? 

6. How long before the days of Daniel did 

Hezekiah reign ? What took place 
when he had reigned thirteen years ? 

312 



How much time was given him? 
Who visited the king? What did 
they see? Why did they come? 
What did the king lose ? What mes- 
sage came to the king from the Lord ? 
What would befall his descendants ? 

7. What was portrayed ? What was done 

with this prophecy ? What question 
was asked? What conclusion is 
drawn ? How did some mothers re- 
ceive the thought ? 

8. When was a son bom to Hezekiah 

and his wife ? Did they regard the 
recent prophecy while training their 
son ? How old was Manasseh when 
he began to reign? Why did he 
choose heathen worship ? 

9. What is said of Christ ? When did He 

accept His appointed mission ? Why ? 
What course did Manasseh pursue? 
What came as the result ? 

10. What contrast is drawn? Give the 

names of the mothers. 

11. Was the prophecy sent Hezekiah ful- 

filled in Manasseh's reign? What 
did the people say ? 

12. When did Jeremiah prophesy? What 

did God do through Jeremiah? 
Quote the words of the prophecy. 
What was given in these words ? 

13. What was Josiah spared from ? Why? 

What was. kept in his day ? What 
promise was given him ? What op- 
portunity was given Josiah ? How 
was it given ? How many of Josiah's 
descendants reigned? What course 
did they all pursue ? 



QUESTIONS FOR STUDY. 



313 



14. Name the sons. Who reigned before 

Zedekiah ? What is the fate of these 
kings ? What might they have been ? 
What became of the first one ? Give 
the course and fate of Jehoiakim. 
What became of the treasures in the 
temple ? Of the youth ? Why was 
Jehoiakim powerless ? What mistake 
did his parents make ? How did he 
train his son ? With what result ? 
To what is this compared ? 

15. What opportunity did Zedekiah have? 

What was in Babylon? How long 
had Daniel been in Babylon when a 
special testimony came to Zedekiah ? 
Repeat the message sent to Zede- 
kiah. Did he obey? What would 
have been the result of his obeying 
the Lord? What excuse did he 
make? 

16. What is revealed in these three sons ? 

17. Who was living in the same city with 

these kings ? To whom were they 
related ? 

18. Give date of first siege of Jerusalem ? 

How old was Daniel at this time ? 
Who was about the same age ? What 
is said of Daniel's mother ? What 
did she repeat over to her son? 
What was Daniel taught to read? 
Upon what three subjects did he 
receive special instruction? What 
story was told and retold? What 
will dull the mind to spiritual things? 
19- What is said of the Hebrew songs? 
What effect do such songs have 
upon an individual ? What is said of 
the schools of that time ? How did 
the holy mothers live ? In what four 
ways did they teach their children ? 

20. What is said of most of the young men 

in the capital ? Why did they excuse 
themselves ? Who did God choose ? 
What happened to Daniel and his 
companions ? 

21. When was the effect of home training 

seen ? What three things placed them 



on the list of well-favored children ? 
What is said of their intellectual abil- 
ity? Did they lack in the sciences 
or essential branches ? 

22. What provision was made for them? 

In what did Daniel have unbounded 
confidence ? Why ? What is said 
of Daniel's education ? With what 
was it in harmony ? How much did 
this question mean to Daniel ? What 
decision did he make ? What pur- 
pose did he make in his heart? 
What expression shows there were 
Hebrew children "^that were not true 
to principle ? 

23. Whose council did Daniel and his com- 

panions seek ? With what result ? 
What was involved in sitting at the 
king's table ? What would be the 
result of removing the safeguard of 
temperance ? How might they have 
reasoned ? With whom did they 
leave the results ? 

24. What two traits of character were 

shown in Daniel ? What request did 
he make ? Was it an experiment 
with them ? 

25. Why did the officer hesitate? What 

explanation did they give to the offi- 
cer ? What did they urge ? Was 
the request granted? Why? De- 
scribe their state of mind. 

26. Who approved of their course ? How 

did they appear at the end of ten 
days? What bespoke physical sound- 
ness and moral purity? What were 
they allowed after this ? 

27. Was pulse and water always the exclu- 

sive diet of Daniel ? When and why 
did he choose it ? At what other 
times did he abstain from flesh, 
wine, etc.? 

28. How does Ezekiel refer to the character 

of Daniel ? Through what will peo- 
ple have to pass in these days? 
What does God ask them to give up ? 
For what is this a reason ? Upon 



314 



QUESTIONS FOR STUDY. 



what did Daniel and his companions 
get the victory ? In how many ways 
could Satan tempt Adam ? What 
would have been the result of obedi- 
ence ? What came through the open 
door of appetite ? 

29. Where did Christ begin his work ? 

Upon what was His first temptation 
in the wilderness ? In withstanding 
this temptation what victory was 
gained ? When will God's people be 
tempted as Daniel was tempted? 
What lies at the foundation of every 
reform ? 

30. What is embraced in being true to God ? 

What is meant by health reform? 
What does it call for ? What is said 
of too great a variety of food at the 
same meal ? Who only are fitted to 
bear responsibilities in the closing 
work? 

31. What is said of the experience of Dan- 

iel and his companions ? In the midst 
of the evils of the court what did 
they exercise ? What object did they 
have in view ? 

32. Who taught these Hebrew children ? 

With whom were they connected? 
Who did they imitate ? How did 
they become educated ? While gain- 
ing their education what did they also 
receive ? 

33. What was the result of the examination 

at the end of three years? In what 
things did they excel the others ? In 
what degree did they excel ? 

34. What is said of these youth ? Why 

did God honor them ? How did they 
compare with the other captives? 
In what five ways was their regard for 
God and nature's laws revealed? 
What is the foundation of the high- 
est education ? What is the result 
of faith developed in childhood ? 

35. What do our youth meet daily ? Who 

will be rewarded like Daniel ? What 
may every youth bear today ? 



36. For what will young men be fitted who 

cherish these principles ? What is 
said of the Waldenses? Give the 
result of this work ? 

37, Give the last words of the first chapter 

of Daniel. How long did Daniel 
live in Babylon ? With whom was he 
acquainted ? How long before had 
Isaiah mentioned this man ? 

CHAPTER II. 

A CONTROVERSY BETWEEN TRUTH 
AND ERROR. 

1. How are we introduced to Nebuchad- 

nezzar in his own home ? How is he 
spoken of in the first chapter ? How 
in the second ? Where can we trace 
the history of Babylon? What is 
embraced in this history ? When will 
it end ? 

2. What is Satan's accusation ? What re- 

quest was made and granted ? Where 
did he set up his rival kingdom? 
What had God told the people to 
do? What did they do? Describe 
the city. In what council was Satan 
then a representative? What was 
•his design ? After what pattern was 
the city modeled ? Describe the gov- 
ernment. What is the result of man 
being exalted above God ? What did 
Nebuchadnezzar do for Babylon ? 

3. What is said of Nebuchadnezzar ? Of 

Babylon ? In what were the Babylo- 
nians especially proficient ? 

4. Of what was Babylon proud ? What 

caused her to turn away? What was 
exemplified in Babylon? For what 
was Daniel chosen ? 

5. What is said of the language of the 

Scriptures ? Of what was Nebuchad- 
nezzar thinking when he fell asleep ? 
With what fact was he well ac- 
quainted? When was God's oppor- 
tunity to speak to him ? What was 
spread out before the king? What 



QUESTIONS- FOR STUDY. 



315 



prevented the king from relating the 
dream ? 

6. Of whom did the king demand an in- 

terpretation ? What was their an- 
swer? Why did the Lord permit 
this? How did the request of the 
wise men affect the king? What 
was given ? 

7. How long had Nebuchadnezzar been 

ruling ? With whom had he reigned 
the previous two years ? What posi- 
tion did Daniel and his fellows hold ? 
Why did Arioch seek them ? What 
question was asked? What reply 
was given? What did Daniel do? 
What was the result ? 

8. What supreme moment comes in every 

life ? How had Daniel been prepared 
for this test ? What probable reason 
is given for Daniel's not being classed 
with the wise men of Chaldea ? How 
does God confound the mighty ?' 

9. How did Daniel and his fellows spend 

the night? What was shown Dan- 
iel? Why did not Nebuchadnezzar 
see these things? 

10. What was revealed in Daniel's song of 

praise ? 

11. What was developed in the schools of 

Babylon ? With what was this con- 
trasted? 

12. How had God taught Egyptian sena- 

tors? With what words did Daniel 
meet the wnse men of the schools of 
Babylon ? 

13. How did the king appear? Who sur- 

rounded Daniel ? What words of the 
psalmist were exemplified ? 

14. Describe the condition of the king? 

Wha<" is said of Daniel ? What op- 
portunity did he have ? What did 
he tell ihe km^ ? To whom was the 
king's mind directed ■* 
16. What was revealed in one night ? Give 
the contrast between prof?ne and sa- 
cred history. What is said of the 
Scriptures <* 



16. How did the Lord represent Babylon ? 

What did the Spirit of prophecy 
point out to the king ? 

17. What Scripture illustrates the weakness 

of Babylon? Why was that nation 
to be humbled? How would she 
seek to save herself? With what re- 
sult? 

18. Where is the strength of nations not 

found ? What alone can make them 
strong? How do they decide their 
own destiny? 

19. How long did Nebuchadnezzar's king- 

dom last ? What followed ? 

20. Name in their order the three kingdoms 

that followed Babylon. How was 
Rome divided ? What kingdom will 
be set up while the divisions of Rome 
are still in existence ? How long will 
it continue? 

21. What did the image represent ? What 

was represented by the different 
grades of metals in the image? 
How was the division of Rome in- 
dicated in the image? How long 
will the division continue ? 

22. What beside the division was repre- 

sented by the iron and clay ? Where 
in the world's history does this begin ? 

23. Give the basis of government in heathen 

nations. What could not be sep- 
arated? How is it with apostate 
Christianity and the State? How 
long will it continue ? What was in- 
dicated by the stone cut out of the 
mountain without hands ? 

24. Did the king recognize the dream ? Did 

he accept the interpretation ? How 
did the king express his feelings? 
What did he say ? 

25. What position was given Daniel ? How 

were his friends honored? When 
was the dream given? What king 
reigned in Judah? 

26. What did God design? What were 

God's people compelled to do? 
Why? State two things said of 



3i6 



QUESTIONS FOR STUDY. 



Babylon. How did the Jews lose 
the power of God? How did God 
make Himself known to the heathen 
king? What additional facts are 
stated ? Why was Daniel and his 
companions put at the head of the 
empire ? 

27. In what position was Nebuchadnezzar ? 
In view of this what message was 
sent to Zedekiah ? By whom ? 

28.. Why is the history of Babylon recorded ? 
What is the book of Revelation? 
To what is the term Babylon applied ? 
What at the present day corresponds 
to the relation of the Jews to the 
Babylon of Nebuchadnezzar's day? 

29. What will be repeated to-day? What 

is generally accepted? State seven 
things toward which the world to-day 
is hastening. 

30. What four things did God do that 

the Jewish nation might become a 
teacher of nations ? From what 
place is He calling a people to-day ? 
What will the principles of healthful 
living God Has given His people do 
for them ? What will be the result 
of following God's educational princi- 
ples ? What is said of the principles 
of true government ? 

31. How many were true to these principles 

in Daniel's day ? How will it be to- 
day? 

CHAPTER III. 

TRUE FREEDOM IN WORSHIP. 

X. Give the first sentence in the chapter. 
How long since the events recorded 
in the second chapter had taken 
place ? What position did Daniel and 
his three friends now hold? What 
had these men been doing in these 
twenty-three years ? What had hap- 
pened to Jerusalem and the Jews? 
Where was their king? What did 
appearances seem to indicate ? 



2. What is said of Nebuchadnezzar at the 

time his dream was interpreted? 
What is said of his condition at 
the time he made the image ? After 
what model was the image made ? In 
what respect did the image differ 
from the one seen in the dream? 
What was left out ? Describe the 
image ? 

3. What decree was issued by Nebuchad- 

nezzar ? Was it obeyed ? 

4. Who was watching with interest ? Why ? 

5. What two facts are given in regard to 

Babylon ? Why is the history given ? 

6. State one privilege of a king. One 

duty of subjects. 

7. What was heard when the company 

were gathered together? Give the 
words of the herald. How only can 
we worship God ? Of what are pa- 
gans ignorant ? What is necessary 
for pagan worship ? With what three 
things was the erection of the image 
in accordance ? With what three 
customs was the commandment to 
worship in harmony ? 

8. With what was this command to wor- 

ship not in harmony ? What was 
being done in the person of the 
king? How did God treat Lucifer 
and the angels when they refused to 
bow before the throne of God? How 
did the king of Babylon treat those 
who refused to bpw to the image? 
Give the motive power in heavenly 
government. In human government. 
What is all tyranny? What is it 
sometimes called ? What is enforced 
civil worship, be it true or false? 
With what is it always accompanied ? 
What is it called from a civil stand 
point ? From a religious point of 
view ? 

9. Name those who refused to worship the 

image ? Who reported them to the 
king ? With what words ? 

10. What did the king think in regard to 



QUESTIONS FOR STUDY. 



317 



the matter ? What brooks no oppo- 
sition ? 

11. What question is given ? What was 

offered them ? What awaited traitors 
and rebels ? 

12. What five classes of individuals were 

spectators of the scene? Between 
whom was the controversy? What 
was at stake ? For what two parties 
could they witness ? State four im- 
portant questions asked in this para- 
graph ? How would you answer 
them ? 

13. What two important facts had these 

Hebrew youth learned ? What an. 
swer did they give the king ? 

14. How did this affect the king ? What 

command did he give ? How did God 
begin to vindicate His faithful chil- 
dren ? 

15. Did God allow envy and hate to prevail 

against His people? What promise 
is given ? 

16. What was the result of casting the He- 

brew youth into the fire ? Quote 
some texts of Scripture that were 
fulfilled in this incident. 

17. How was the king affected? What 

question did he ask ? Give the an- 
swer. What reply did the king make ? 

18. How did the king recognize the form of 

the Son of God? What other truth 
did the king understand ? What did 
he believe ? What is said of these 
Hebrews ? Of what was this mira- 
cle the result ? 

19. How did the king feel ? What com- 

mand did he give ? Who were wit- 
nesses? How closely were the He- 
brews examined? How had God 
triumphed ? What was forgotten ? 

20. What had the Jews failed to do ? How 

did God accomplish the work ? How 
widely was the story told ? State 
five important truths that were widely 
circulated. What became the ab- 



sorbing theme ? What was the re- 
sult of that day's experience ? 

21. What does the king again acknowledge ? 

What was the result of Daniel's in- 
terpreting the dream ? What was the 
result of the three Hebrews being 
saved from the furnace ? 

22. What did the king at first gain? To 

what did it lead ? What was the re- 
sult ? Instead of the death of three 
what was gained ? 

23. What probably was taking place in Jeru- 

salem, at this time ? What message 
had ^the prophet given Zedekiah a 
short time before this ? 
21. What seemingly strange message did the 
prophet ^ive Zedekiah a little later ? 

25. How did Zedekiah walk ? What did he 

lose? What only could he see? 
What would faith have led him to 
do? 

26. What is said of God's commands? 

What always accompanies the com- 
mand ? If Zedekiah had known of 
the decree what would he have done? 

27. For what had God make provision? 

How were the plans frustrated ? Give 
the pleading words of the prophet. 
What is said of Zedekiah ? If Zede- 
kiah had gone forth to the Chaldeans 
what would have been the result? 
What fact was made plain to him ? 

28. To what was Zedekiah a stranger ? 

29. What is said of the three Hebrews? 

Did they know they would be deliv- 
ered from the fire ? What does the 
lack of simple faith bring ? What is 
God ever ready to do ? 

30. What is said in regard to the tests of 

our faith ? What is said of every act ? 
What is never closed to God's peo- 
ple ? Who watches every movement 
of Satan? Why? 

31. Why is the histoiy of the three He- 

brews given ? Who among the cap- 
tives obeyed God ? What facts are 
stated in regard to these men ? 



3i8 



QUESTIONS FOR STUDY. 



32. What will bring strength to the will and 

body ? What would have been the 
^result* if these youth had compro- 
mised the principles of temperance 
at the first ? For what did faithful- 
ness to health principles prepare 
them ? 

33. What should be studied with the third 

chapter of Daniel? Give parallel 
facts in the two Scriptures. What 
will be given the image ? State what 
wUl take place. 

34. Answer the four questions in the last 

paragraph of the chapter. Of what 
are the scenes in this chapter a min- 
iature ? 

CHAPTER IV. 

THE MOST HIGH RULETH. 

1. What is the fourth chapter of Daniel ? 

By whom written ? When ? To 
whom was it sent.'' How does it 
come to us.'' What was the object 
in writing it ? 

2. What is said of Nebuchadnezzar's reign ? 

Of Nebuchadnezzar? What is he 
called in prophecy? Why was he 
successful ? Relate what is said of 
the wars against Tyre and Egypt. 

3. What was shown Ezekiel? To whom 

was the testimony sent ? Relate the 
testimony. 

4. Who must have been familiar with this 

testimony? Why? Upon what does 
this throw light ? 
5 Mention the facts stated in regard to 
Nebuchadnezzar. To whom did he 
relate the dream ? Could they give 
the interpretation ? Who was called ? 

6. What name had been given Daniel? 

What did he always retain ? What 
opportunity was given Daniel ? 

7. What is said of the dream? What 

story had been handed down by tra- 
dition ? Describe the tree seen in 
the dream. What strange fact is 
given in regard to the tree ? 



8. What was sheltered by the tree ? What 

part of the tree did the king see ? 
What is said of the roots of any tree ? 
Upon what do the leaves and fruit 
depend ? 

9. What did Nebuchadnezzar see ? What 

command was given ? What is said 
of the stump of the tree ? 

10. What is said of this message ? What 

had been shown the king in his for- 
mer dream ? Give the parting words 
of the angel. 

11. Why did Daniel's thoughts trouble him? 

What did the king do ? Give Dan- 
iel's words. Where did the princi- 
ples of the Babylonian kingdom origi- 
nate? What were they ? State what 
is said of Babylon. What is said of 
tyranny in governments at the pres- 
ent day ? 

12. What did Babylon implant in all con- 

quered territory? What was prac- 
ticed ? Who held full sway ? What 
are the mysteries of Greece ? What 
is said of the golden cup ? 

13. What are the nations and people of the 

present day doing ? Where did the 
festivals of Christmas, Easter, and 
Hallowe'en originate ? What is said 
of the root of the Babylonian tree? 

14. What is said of the influence of Baby- 

lon in educational lines ? Where did 
the principles of education in the 
world originate ? What is prominent 
in the book of Daniel ? What came 
in direct contact, every time the He- 
brews met the Chaldean wise men ? 
What two facts were shown by this ? 
Give some of the facts stated in re- 
gard to the so-called " higher educa- 
tion," of to-day. What is this edu- 
cation ? 

15. What were planted in Babylon ? For 

what was the Holy Watcher seeking ? 
What were all nations seeking? 
What did they receive ? 

16. What was said of the leaves of the tree ^ 



QUESTIONS FOR STUDY. 



319 



Of the odor ? Of the plant ? Against 
what should we guard ? 

17. To whom does a part of the dream ap- 
ply? What would come upon Nebu- 
chadnezzar on account of his pride ? 
How long would this condition con- 
tinue? How did Daniel exhort the 
king ? Could the king avert this sen- 
tence? Why did it come upon the 
king? 

18- How much probationary time was given ? 
Give the words of Nebuchadnezzar 
at the end of the year. Whose 
words was he repeating? While 
thinking these thoughts what hap- 
pened to the king? What had God 
given the king? What could He 
take aw^ay? What is said of the 
mind ? Give the words of David 
quoted in this paragraph. 

19. If God can not save one in prosperity 

what does He bring? Who is clear 
from censure ? Show how this was 
illustrated in the case of Nebuchad- 
nezzar. 

20. What is necessary? What experience 

comes alike to nations and individ- 
uals ? How is this illustrated in the 
church? Who will be brought to 
confusion ? What is hid in Christ ? 
What originates with God? Who 
rules? 

21. For what was God workihg ? What did 

Nebuchadnezzar gain from the seven 
years' experience ? With what Scrip- 
ture quotation does the chapter close ? 

CAPTER V. 

THE LAST YEARS OF THE BABALONIAN 
KINGDOM. 

1. Give the four principles that can be 
learned from a study of the history of 
Babylon as recorded in the book of 
Daniel ? What is seen in Babylon ? 
What were counterfeited ? Accord- 
ing to what laws was Babylon built ? 



What was the result of the mingling 
of good and evil ? Why was Babylon 
allowed to run its natural course ? 

2. What did God do to vindicate Himself? 
What three statements are made 
showing God's favor ? Why did God 
send them warnings and entreaties? 
Of what is it a forcible commentary ? 

4. What would have been the result if 
Babylon had accepted the proffered 
help? 

4. Of what need^ none be ignorant ? What 

will give them information? What 
is an object-lesson to the nations of 
to-day ? What is said of Babylon's 
growth, failures and destruction ? 

5. What do all nations have ? What rec- 

ord is kept ? When are nations de- 
stroyed ? What is said of what ap- 
pears to happen by chance ? 

6. What does the study of the book of 

Daniel demand? 

7. How much time between the fourth and 

fifth chapters of Daniel? When did 
Nebuchadnezzar's reign end ? What 
is said of his reign ? Who succeeded 
Nebuchadnezzar ? What is said of 
the history of this period ? What 
w'as the one object of all the experi- 
ences? What course did Babylon 
pursue ? 

8. How many times is Evil-merodach men- 

tioned in the Bible? What is men- 
tioned? Relate what was done for 
Jehoiachin. 

9. With what was Evil-merodach familiar ? 

Who may have been his instructor? 
What was delayed beyond Evil-me^o- 
dach's reign? What followed his 
reign? 

10. Who finally came to the throne ? When 

was Belshazzar associated with him ? 
When was the kingdom overthrown ? 
What relation was Belshazzar to Neb- 
uchadnezzar ? 

11. Where do we find Daniel ? What did 

he see ? 



320 



QUESTIONS FOR STUDY. 



12. What is said of the reign of Nabona- 

dius and Belshazzar? What was well 
known ? Who will be among the re- 
deemed at last ? 

13. When did the oppression of the Jews 

become unbearable ? 

14. What instruction was given the Jews 

when they went into captivity ? How 
long did the captivity last ? What 
did God's people have to keep them 
from mingling with the heathen ? 
What did the Babylonians mock? 
What was forbidden? What was 
demanded? What did Jeremiah 
say ? Of what did the Babylonians 
boast ? 

15. Of what was this oppression a fore- 

taste? By what name are both pe- 
riods called ? What were the Jews 
obliged to do ? 

16. Give six important truths taught by the 

Tews. What was well known to 
the Babylonians ? With what three 
prophets were they acquainted? 
What is said of Daniel? Of Eze- 
kiel ? Of Jeremiah ? What nations 
through the spirit of prophecy 
knew of the fall of Babylon? What 
fact was known by many of these 
nations ? 

17. How did God use His people ? To 

what is Babylon compared ? What 
took place in 539 B. c. ? Who 
heard the news ? What message was 
then given? Who withdrew from 
Babylon ? Did the Persians come ? 
What was Cyrus doing ? What 
prophecy was thus fulfilled ? 

18. What came to Babylon one spring ? 

How was it received by the two 
classes ? What came the next spring ? 
What was the result ? 

19. What began? What fate awaited the 

Babylonians ? 

20. What had come ? Who was interested ? 

Who was asleep ? 



CHAPTER VI. 

THE HANDWRITING ON THE WALL. 

1. What time had arrived ? Did the peo- 

ple know of it ? How were the peo- 
ple spending that night? How was 
it in the dens of Babylon ? How in 
the palace halls? Where were the 
nobles? Who else were present? 
What was this feast, and to whom 
did they drink ? What did the king 
order? As they drank, whose bless- 
ing was invoked ? Did the cup reach 
the king's lips? By whose hands, 
and after what models, had those 
vessels been made ? Who had 
watched them when taken to Baby- 
lon ? Who had guarded them while 
there ? Of what was their presence 
a witness ? Does God let such dese- 
crations go unnoticed ? 

2. What did the king see on the opposite 

wall? How did it affect the king? 
What ceased? Upon what did the 
one thousand guests look ? 

3. Who were called to read the writing? 

Could they read the language of 
heaven? How did the four charac- 
ters appear upon the wall ? 

4. What had been the condition of the city 

for several days? What had the 
Lord said, about their earthly protec- 
tion ? 

5. What becomes of the strongest strong- 

holds when God's hand is laid upon 
them ? Had the rulers of Babylon 
learned this lesson ? Who had never 
owned his weakness ? Who had 
watched the ' progress of affairs in 
this great city ? Of what was it the 
battle-ground? Between whom was 
the controversy? 

6. Who had mustered these forces against 

Babylon ? Who was God using? 
What had God said about Cyrus 
entering the city ? 



QUESTIONS FOR STUDY. 



321 



7. While the king and his lords were drink- 

ing, what was Cyrus doing ? 

8. When the Chaldeans could not read the 

writing on the wall, how did it affect 
the king? What did he know? 
What did the queen mother remem- 
ber about Daniel ? 

9. Who was called into the banquet hall ? 

What did the earthly monarch prom- 
ise him? How did the prophet of 
God appear before the terror-stricken 
throng? 

10. How were children named by Israel in 

early times? Whose names were 
changed by God ? What is the mean- 
ing of the name, Daniel ? What had 
Nebuchadnezzar called him ? In 
whose honor was this name? Did 
this affect the prophet ? How did he 
speak before the king? What was 
this moment to them ? What is said 
of Daniel's age ? How did these re- 
wards affect him ? What did he 
proceed to do ? How did he speak 
to Belshazzar? 

11. What did he say? How were these 

words spoken ? What had Belshaz- 
zar done ? What had he severed ? 
Of what is the natural breath a sym- 
bol? How had the king used his 
breath and powers ? Where and how 
were these characters written ? 

12. How were the people affected? Give 

the four terrible words. What was 
their meaning ? 

13. In what way does God deal with men ? 

What is a common belief among 
idolators ? To whom was it familiar? 
How did the explanation of the writ- 
ing affect the magicians ? 

14. Is this symbol still applicable ? By 

whom had God sent an explanation ? 
Give Ezekiel's explanation. When 
a man accepts Christ, what is written 
opposite his name in the books of 
Heaven ? As long as he hides in 
Christ, how is he known ? How does 



God deal with men ? If the worst of 
sinners repent, what does God take 
into account ? 

15. How does God deal with nations? 

What does this explain ? 

16. What had God given the Babylonian 

monarchs ? Who had long hovered 
over this earthly government ? What 
had been, bestowed upon them. For 
what purpose ? What happened at 
last ? What only could be the result ? 
What was the last word that Daniel 
read ? 

17. How was Daniel attired ? By the time 

this was done, what was heard ? 

18. What were their enemies doing while 

they were feasting ? What had pre- 
vented Cyrus from entering the city ? 
How did the men enter the river? 
When the Babylonians were feeling 
secure, what had they neglected 
to do? 

19. As soon as the enemy entered the city, 

what happened ? Did the Babylo- 
nians receive the news in time to save 
themselves ? Toward what place did 
the enemy rush ? What words had 
the prophet uttered describing the 
. scene ? Who had controled the king- 
dom? What did the prophet ex- 
claim ? What raged through the 
street ? With what did they fight 
hand to hand ? 

20. What became of the king ? Who took 

the kingdom? What had come to 
an end ? When an individual or na- 
tion becomes lifted up in iniquity, 
what comes to pass ? 

21. What question naturally arises ? What 

is a simple and natural answer ? 
What had Daniel found out by the 
study of prophecy ? Knowing this, 
what was his attitude towards Cyrus ? 

22. What was there a good reason to be- 

lieve ? When he was excluded from 
Belshazzar's council, where did he 
spend a portion of his time ? What 

21 



322 



QUESTIONS FOR STUDY. 



is said of the province of Elam at 
this time ? 

23. With whom was it probable that Daniel 

had formed an acquaintance ? On 
what other occasion did the priests 
reveal to a leading general the proph- 
ecy concerning him ? What is evi- 
dent from the first chapter of Ezra ? 

24. What does God always give those who 

are walking in the light ? What great 
truth does this illustrate ? Where is 
there always a Witness ? What does 
the recording angel write against 
the unfaithful ? Where is this Wit- 
ness .'* How may we feel ? What 
must be rendered .'' What will every 
man reap ? 

25. What are nations repeating to-day? 

Who was an instrument in God's 
hands to punish Babylon ? What will 
the next overthrow of governments 
usher in,'' For what are the nations 
now mustering their forces ? What 
cry has gone forth ? 

CHAPTER VII. 

DANIEL IN THE LION'S DEN. 

1. What is contained in the first five chap- 

ters of Daniel? With the close of 
the fifth chapter, what nation is intro- 
duced? Give name and age of the 
ruling king . Who is associated with 
him ? What is his position in the na- 
tion ? How was this change in king- 
doms represented in the image of the 
second chapter? Were the Medes an 
unknown power? Give the earliest 
Bible record of this nation. How 
were the Medes first brought in con- 
tact with the Jews ? How long was 
this before the fall of Babylon? 
What can be said of their worship ? 
What reason is given for this ? 

2. With what were the Medes and Persians 

brought in close touch ? Name the 
elements they worshiped. Where 



did they establish their worship, and 
what was kept continually burning ? 
In what did they believe? Quote 
the words of Isaiah to Cyrus. How 
is God's position shown in these 
words? 

3. What was the physical condition of the 

Persians? Give the reason for* this. 
What were the Medes and Persians? 
Where do we learn of the organiza- 
tion of the kingdom ? Into how 
many provinces was the kingdom 
divided? Why was this change im- 
portant? Upon what did peace de- 
pend? Who were placed over the 
one hundred and twenty princes ? 

4. What appointment was made out of the 

usual order ? What made it still 
more unusual ? What is revealed in 
Daniel 8:1, 2 ? What probably gave 
him this position ? 

5. What is said of Daniel's character ? Of 

what is it a witness ? In what way 
was Daniel an example to all office- 
holders? What fact shows that he 
served God and not a man-made 
party ? In order to be a good busi- 
ness man is it necessary to be a 
" policy man " ? While prime minis- 
ter, what was Daniel receiving ? To 
what is the usual type of a states- 
man compared ? What pleases the 
Lord ? How may a man preserve his 
integrity ? 

6. What was Daniel's duty as chief of the 

presidents? Why were they to re- 
port to Daniel? What was the 
character of the presidents ? In what 
respect did the Babylonian govern- 
ment resemble those of the present 
day ? 

7. Quote the divine description of the con- 

dition of the nation. Where will we 
find the details given ? What are the 
nations of to-day ? Even in the best 
governments, what is seen ? 

8. Give points of similarity between Rome 



QUESTIONS FOR STUDY. 



323 



and Babylon. Upon what was Rome 
built ? What other nations repeat 
the same story ? Where may we 
read the details Daniel had to meet? 
What three things are shown in the 
sixth chapter of Daniel ? 
9. Why did the king plan to promote Dan- 
iel ? What did the presidents plan to 
do? Give the principles of divine 
government from which Daniel w^ould 
not swerve. 

10. Was it easy to condemn Daniel? In 

what way could they condemn him ? 
With whom did their underhanded 
ways bring them in conflict ? 

11. Who waited upon Darius? What did 

their words reveal ? With what false- 
hood did they address the king ? 

12. In whom did the king have confidence ? 

Give the import of the decree. What 
made the document a law ? 

13. Why was God especially interested in 

Babylon? What is the difference 
between knowing God and knowing 
about Him? Through whom did 
God manifest his power ? How long 
had Daniel witnessed for Him ? 

14. Describe Daniel's character. What did 

he realize ? 

15. Did he know of the decree? What 

course did he pursue ? 

16. What appointments did he keep ? Tell 

of his spiritual life. Which life could 
his enemies comprehend ? What par- 
allel is drawn between Christ and 
Daniel ? In what way was Daniel 
prepared to meet the nervous strain 
of business ? What is the weight of 
the atmosphere? Why does it not 
crush us? Of what is it a type? 
How can we equalize the pressure of 
trials ? 

17. What course did Daniel pursue ? Who 

were in the councils when they plot- 
ted against Daniel ? What did the 
spies discover ? What accusation was 
made ? 



18. What did the king discover? How did 

the king spend the day ? How did 
they meet every argument of the 
king ? 

19. When is God's opportunity ? Give Dan- 

iel's prayer. What was impossible ? 

20. Where did Darius and Daniel meet ? 

Who was best fitted to enter the den ? 
Give Darius' words to Daniel. How 
was the mouth of the den secured ? 

21. When again did Satan exult as he saw 

a stone laid over an entrance ? Could 
either Christ or Daniel be held? 
Where was the angel? Describe 
Daniel's experience in the den. 

22. Was there ever a time when all beasts 

were gentle ? What made them fero- 
cious ? What will harmony with God 
again restore ? Who was with Dan- 
iel ? 

23. How did the king spend the night? 

Give the words of the king to Dan- 
iel, and his reply. 

24. What reply was given the woman at 

Christ's tomb ? Why was Daniel pro- 
tected ? 

25. Give the fate of Daniel's accusers. 

What did the nations of the world 
see? What effect did it have upon 
Darius and Cyrus? What special 
light was given Daniel after this ex- 
perience ? 

26. Give Darius' decree. What decree was 

given by Cyrus ? 

27. Where can we learn the fate of evil 

men? 

28. Give the substance of the last paragraph 

of the chapter. 

CHAPTER VIII. 

THE PROPHECY OF DANIEL. 

THE JUDGMENT SCENE. 

1. What is dealt with in the first half of 
the book of Daniel? What is con- 
tained in the last six chapters ? How 
far do the visions reach ? What does 



324. 



QUESTIONS FOR STUDY. 



the prophet see in the future? What 
may we know from these guide-posts 
of the prophet ? 

2. What history is given in the seventh 

chapter of Daniel ? Give the central 
theme of the chapter. 

3. What remarkable fact is mentioned ? 

What was show^n to Nebuchadnezzar.-' 
Why ? What was opened up to Dan- 
iel ? Where did the angel of revela- 
tion linger ? 

4. The seventh chapter of Daniel reveals 

the history of what people ? When 
W'as this vision given ? To what does 
the giving of this view bear testi- 
mony ? How old was Daniel .-' How 
many years had he been in the court ? 
What testified to the purity of Dan- 
iel's life ? Who had been shown 
these things before ? Why could the 
Spirit reveal these things to Daniel ? 

5. Give the words of Hosea. By what 

symbols were the kingdoms repre- 
sented? Of what are winds a sym- 
bol ? What was represented by the 
water? What did the beasts repre- 
sent ? 

6. How many kingdoms were represented ? 

In what way had the first one been 
represented to Neb uchadnezzar ? 
How did it appear to Daniel ? How 
had Jeremiah spoken of Babylon ? 

7. When had Habakkuk spoken of Baby- 

lon ? What did he say ? 

8. . When Daniel watched the lion in vision,' 
what unnatural position did it take ? 
What was indicated by this change in 
position ? 

9. Give Habakkuk's reason for this sud- 
den weakening of the power of Baby- 
lon. What unpardonable sin did 
Babylon commit ? When did Daniel 
witness the overthrow of Babylon ? 
10. By what symyol W'as Medo-Persia repre- 
sented? What was its character? 
Give the nationality of Darius and 
Cyrus. Who ruled the kingdom ? 



Who was the leading spirit ? What 
is represented by the beasts ? How 
is Medo-Persia represented in the 
eighth chapter of Daniel? What 
portions of Scripture are mentioned 
as revealing the bear-like nature of 
Medo-Persia ? How many years are 
covered by the history of the second 
kingdom ? 

11. What is said of the third kingdom? 

What name did the angel give for 
this kingdom? By what beast is it 
represented? What is indicated by 
the four w'ings and the four heads of 
the leopard ? How is the Grecian 
kingdom represented in the eighth 
chapter of Daniel ? 

12. Of which beast did Daniel wish to know 

particularly ? 

13. Describe the fourth beast. 

14. What did the angel say of the lives of 

the beasts ? How is this shown in 
the second chapter of Daniel ? How 
was the same truth represented in the 
fourth chapter ? Explain the way in 
which these principles have been 
handed down from nation to nation. 
What was the condition when the 
fourth kingdom appeared ? 

15. What did Rome renew in religion ? In 

education? In cruelty? When did 
Rome succeed Greece ? What were 
the ten horns? With what part of 
the image of the second chapter does 
the fourth beast harmonize ? How 
does the history of Rome differ from 
that of the preceding nations ? 
Where in prophecy do we find the 
details of the decline and fall of 
Rome ? By w'hom and when was it 
broken into ten parts? Name the 
ten kingdoms. 

16. State Rome's opportunities to receive 

the gospel. How w^as light offered 
to Babylon ? To Media and Persia ? 
Did Greece also have an opportunity 
to receive the light ? In what way 



QUESTIONS FOR STUDY. 



325 



was Rome especially favored, and 
how did they treat the light ? What 
judgment came on the nation? 

17. Did Roman history end with the divi- 

sion? Quote what is said of the 
little horn. Give in detail the account 
of the plucking up of the three horns. 

18. Describe the appearance of the little 

horn. 

19. What was the condition of Rome ? To 

what is the rise of the little horn 
compared? By what name is it 
known ? 

20. Why did Babylon and pagan Rome fall ? 

Describe the work of the little horn. 
21- What position did Rome hold in the 
days of Christ ? Who preached in 
Rome ? With what results ? What 
gradually crept into the Roman 
church? What did Paul call it? 
What was grasped by the church? 
When was this powder assumed ? 
What decree then went into effect? 
Besides speaking stout words, what 
was done by the little horn? How 
much power did it have ? 

22. Upon what did the little horn lay hands ? 

Give the various means used to keep 
Europe in darkness for over a thou- 
sand years. 

23. How long was this power to continue ? 

Give the texts that speak of it. In 
how many different ways is it spoken 
of? When did it begin ? When was 
its dominion taken away ? Is his 
power yet destroyed ? 

24. What besides earthly scenes was shown 

to Daniel? 

25. When was the Saviour crucified ? 

Where was He slain? Where did 
He go ? Of what was the day of 
atonement a type ? Quote Spur- 
rell's translation of the scene. 

26. Who abides in the holy of holies ? Of 

what is the throne of God the center ? 
What revolves about it ? 



27. What is gravity ? What is done by it ? 

From whence is all life ? 

28. What did every offering bring to the 

mind of God? What will Christ 
ever retain ? With what is the tem- 
ple filled? 

29. Give the words of the Psalmist. 

30. Can we comprehend God? 

31. When was the door into the holy of 

holies opened ? 

32. What is said of the opening of the 

judgment? Where do you find the 
only description of the judgment 
scene ? Where is the only pro- 
phetic period which marks the time 
of the j udgment ? When did the 
twenty-three hundred days begin? 
When did they end ? What message 
went forth at the close of the days ? 
How widely was the message 
preached ? 

33. When did Christ go in before the Fa- 

ther ? Why could this not have been 
when Christ ascended into heaven? 
Who accompanied Christ when He 
went in before the Father? When 
were the books of record opened? 
Who has witnessed each sin ? Of 
what does God have a faithful record ? 

34. Who intercedes for each name ? What 

is written opposite every name that 
is confessed ? Describe the scene 
that follows. 

35. How long has the judgment been in 

session? What will be decided be- 
fore its close ? 

36. Which beast continues after the investi- 

gative judgmem opens ? When does 
it attract attention ? What took place 
in 1870 ? While Christ was pleading 
in man's behalf, what was man doing ? 

37. Why did Babylon fall ? What did Dan- 

iel say of the fourth beast? What 
becomes of the fourth beast ? 

38. What is said of the fifth kingdom? 

Who will establish it ? Who will pos- 
sess it ? Who will come forth in the 



326 



QUESTIONS FOR STUDY. 



first resurrection ? Who will be trans- 
lated ? What will become of sin and 
sinners ? What will be blotted out ? 
Who will witness the triumph of 
truth ? What is fofgotten ? 

CHAPTER IX. 

THE EIGHTH CHAPTER OF DANIEl) 

1. How long since the vision of the seventh 

chapter? What subject had often 
been upon the mind of the prophet ? 
Why did he keep the matter in his 
heart? What changes had taken 
place during the two years ? How did 
this affect Daniel? Where was Dan" 
iel living at that time ? What was 
the capital of Elam ? 
What was Elam formerly ? Who led 
in the revolt ? What had Isaiah fore- 
told ? What did Daniel see ? Why 
does this vision begin with Media and 
Persia ? 

2. Where was Daniel taken in vision ? De- 

scribe the ram and its conquests. By 
what was the second kingdom repre- 
sented in his previous vision ? What 
is shown by both symbols ? What 
was represented by the uneven horns 
of the ram ? What is the best com- 
mentary on the Scriptures ? Give the 
words of the angel. 

3. How was the increase of the kingdom 

represented? In the days of Cyrus, 
how many provinces were there? 
How many in the time of Esther? 
What was the -kingdom then called ? 
How was the monarch spoken of ? 
What is said of Xerxes in the 
eleventh chapter of Daniel? 

4. Give the second symbol in the vision. 

From wlieuce does it come ? In what 
manner ? Describe its appearance. 
What is said of the fourth king after 
Cyrus? When was this fulfilled? 
How large was Xerxes' army? 



Where was it defeated? What had 
prophecy foretold ? 

5. How did Greece attack Medo-Persia ? 

Quote Spurrell's translation. 

6. Who were the commanders ? What be- 

came of Medo-Persia? Why? Who 
stood by the Persian monarch ? What 
had the nation been in God's hand ? 
Whose example did they follow? 
Whose fate did they share ? What 
good deed was done by Persia ? How 
is the life of a nation prolonged ? 

7. Where did the ram and goat meet ? 

Give the historical fulfillment of this 
meeting. What other defeats fol- 
lowed ? What was the result ? 

8. In what does Alexander stand without a 

rival ? Give a sketch of his early life. 
What did he proclaim himself? 
What caused his death ? 

9. Who directs in the rise and fall of king- 

doms ? 

10. By whom can the Lord save ? 

11. Will mighty armies always save a na- 

tion? Who is the Lord especially 
watching ? 

12. Who controls all nations ? 

13. Give fulfillment of the great horn's being 

broken. What did the four horns 
represent ? 

14. Name the four generals and the territory 

governed by each. 

15. What comes out from one of these 

horns ? How was this power symbol- 
ized in the seventh chapter? In the 
second vision? How does one feel 
when reading of this power? What 
was concentrated in this power? 
What is it said to be ? What was 
brought upon the field of action to 
counteract the gift of heaven ? 

16. What did Gabriel say of this power? 

If our eyes are directed heavenward, 
what do we receive ? What takes 
possession of those who resist God's 
love ? What is said of the extent of 
the kingdom ? Give what inspiration 



QUESTIONS FOR STUDY. 



327 



says of *' the little horn." What be- 
came of cities that resisted Rome ? 
Give the description of the govern- 
ment given by the angel. 

17. How was the great arrogance of Rome 

displayed ? Quote Daniel 8 : 11. 

18. How does God regard His people ? Of 

what did Rome first deprive the 
Jews ? When did Christ come ? 
What did Rome see ? With whom 
did He identify Himself ? What did 
He prove ? 

19. What did, Rome do with Christ? In 

what condition was paganism ? What 
was its last act ? 

20. How did Satan work .-* What crept into 

the church? Where lay the power 
of the early church ? What was done 
by Christian mothers? What text- 
book was used ? Were the children 
left in the pagan schools ? Could 
they eat with the pagans ? 

21. How and why did Satan put his princi- 

ples into the new church? What 
drove out the spirit of life? What 
fell before the rising power of the 
hierarchy ? What choked the life of 
the new church ? What was taken 
away? What did Rome nominally 
become? What is said of the em- 
peror ? What decrees were passed ? 
Who attempted to exalt themselves 
above God? Whose principles were 
received ? 

22. How does John speak of the transfer of 

power? With what is Daniel 8:11, 
12 a parallel ? Give the work of the 
little horn of Daniel 7 : 25. How 
many times was Daniel shown the 
twofold history of Rome ? Describe 
each. 

23. How did this affect the prophet ? Did 

he understand the time of fulfill- 
ment? Give three definite events 
that were shown the prophet. How 
did these scenes pass before him? 
Who was watching ? 



24. How long and for what has the universe 

waited? What do the angelic hosts 
wonder ? Who only knows the time ? 
What is shown by the thirteenth 
verse ? What question was asked by 
Gabriel? Give his answer. 

25. For what did Daniel long ? Who ap- 

peared before Daniel? What com- 
mand was given to Gabriel? How 
was Daniel affected by Gabriel's ap- 
pearance ? With what words did the 
angel address Daniel ? 

26. How did Gabriel commence the expla- 

nation ? In w^hat way did he speak 
of the two thousand three hundred 
days? What did Daniel see that 
caused him to faint ? 

27. What is taught in the eighth chapter 

besides the line of prophecy ? 

28. What gift is to be coveted ? What does 

the study of Daniel's life reveal? 
What position does Gabriel hold? 
Give his words to John. To Daniel. 
Whose attendant is Gabriel? Who 
formerly occupied his position ? Who 
appeared to Mary? To the shep- 
herds ? Who guided the w^se men ? 

29. What did Gabriel bring to Christ ? How 

did he comfort Him ? How were the 
Roman soldiers affected by his pres- 
ence? Tell of his presence at the 
Saviour's tomb. 

30. Where did the Saviour go ? Who com- 

forted the disciples ? Which one of 
the angels has been most closely con- 
nected with man ? What did he for- 
bid? Is Gabriel one of the Trinity 
of heaven ? How does he count 
himself ? Who communicated with 
every prophet ? 

31. Who was Lucifer ? Since his fall, how 

has he used his power? What can 
you say of false prophets ? Who will 
finally appear as an angel of light ? 
What will be the safety of God's 
people ? 

32. Where was Daniel carried ? What was 



328 



QUESTIONS FOR STUDY. 



shown him? What does the river 
represent ? What are located on the 
banks of the stream of time ? Who 
presides over the stream of waters? 
From where was the voice heard ? 
Give the words of the angel. 

CHAPTER X. 

THE HISTORY OF THE JEWS. 

1. How much time intervened between the 

eighth and ninth chapters of Daniel ? 
What were the parting words of Ga- 
briel ? Of what did Daniel think 
while attending to the king's busi- 
ness ? Why was he called into the 
court of Babylon ? What calamity 
had befallen Babylon ? What posi- 
tion had been given Daniel ? 

2. For what did Daniel always find time ? 

3. What had prophecy said of Cyrus ? 

What was drawing near? What 
prophecy told of the length of cap- 
tivity ? Over what was Daniel prob- 
ably perplexed ? What did the cleans- 
ing of the sanctuary then mean to the 
Jews? 

4. How many times did Jeremiah give the 

length of the captivity? Give the 
quotations. What was near ? 

5. Of what is this prayer an example ? 

What had darkened the vision of 
many ? What relation did they sus- 
tain toward the truth of God? How 
were they personally situated ? How 
did they look upon the journey to 
Jerusalem ? 

6. What was strong in the hearts of many ? 

Seventy years after Cyrus' decree, 
where were many of the Jews ? What 
proportion ever returned ? To whom 
were they compared ? How was the 
spirit of prophecy received? What 
did they choose ? Did Daniel know 
of this condition? With whom did 
he identify himself ? 

7. Where did he place himself? Give a 

portion of the prayer. 



8. Of whom was Daniel a representative ? 

To whom is his prayer a rebuke ? 

9. With what words did Daniel approach 

God? With whom was he ac- 
quainted ? With what two arms 
may finite man reach Infinite Love? 
How was the prayer received? Why 
are our requests often unanswered? 
How are we sometimes tested ? 

10. When did Gabriel touch Daniel ? 

11. What did Gabriel first mention? Give 

his words. What was necessary that 
Daniel might receive the Spirit ? 

12. Who were God's special favorites? 

What words were spoken to but few ? 
Who is greatly beloved of the Lord ? 

13. With which verse does the explanation 

of the time begin ? With what was 
Gabriel acquainted? Quote Daniel 
9 : 24. How much is contained in 
this verse ? What is said of this 
verse? What exact date is given? 
What other important facts are given 
in the verse ? In this interview what 
part of the two thousand three hun- 
dred days was given ? What had al- 
ready been revealed to Daniel ? • 

14. How many years in seventy weeks? 

What does this period cover ? When 
was it to begin ? Into what periods 
was Jewish history divided ? What 
was accomplished during the first pe- 
riod? To what does the second 
period extend? What would the one 
week cover? To what is this last 
week devoted ? 

15. What four prophets give us the history 

of the forty-nine years ? For what 
was Cyrus raised up ? What did Isa- 
iah say of him ? What was he to do ? 

16. Where do we find Cyrus' decree ? Give 

a portion of the decree. 

17. Could all return to Jerusalem ? If they 

were too poor to go, who would bear 
the expense ? Had there ever been 
such a decree before ? What should 
Israel have done ? What should the 



QUESTIONS FOR STUDY. 



329 



exodus have been ? How would it 
have compared with the going out of 
Egypt ? 

18. Who watched the preparations? How 

many had gone at the end of the first 
year ? 

19. How did Cyrus feel about it ? Who 

worked to again arouse Cyrus' in- 
terest ? 

20. What was returned to the leaders of the 

Jews ? What work was begun in the 
second year? What is said of the 
site of Solomon's temple ? Who 
soon stopped the work ? Under what 
king was the work resumed ? How 
many years was the work stopped ? 
What two prophets now began to 
prophesy ? 

21. How had the Jews provided for them- 

selves ? What did God want them to 
do? Who helped them? Who tried 
to hinder them? What was the re- 
suit ? How was the money supplied ? 

22. How long was Jerusalem governed by 

Persia? What was issued in the 
seventh year of Artaxerxes ? Give 
the six principal points in the decree. 
What did it establish? Was this a 
common thing? 

23. In what year was this? What period 

began wnth this date ? What is shown 
by Ezra 6: 14? 

24. Who describes the " troublous times " 

in which the wall was built ? What 
position did Nehemiah hold ? How 
many years after Artaxerxes' decree 
did Nehemiah go up to Jerusalem ? 
Who directed the work of building 
the wall ? How did they build ? 

25. What lessons of Nehemiah should be 

followed by Christians to-day? Of 
what is the rebuilding of Jerusalem a 
fit symbol ? Who was responsible 
for the trouble ? What did a few 
years of rest always bring ? How did 
they treat their own brethren ? What 
is necessary in order to be ''free in- 



deed " ? What will take place when 
God's people proclaim liberty among 
themselves ? 

26. Quote Daniel 9:25. Give the Greek 

and Hebrew words for " anointed.' 
When and with what was Christ 
anointed? What event closed the 
sixty-nine weeks ? 

27. Four hundred and fifty-seven. years from 

Artaxerxes' decree reaches to what 
date ? Twenty-six years added, brings 
us to what event ? Give date of 
Christ's baptism. 

28. For what had the Jewish nation looked ? 

Who controlled the Jewish nation at 
the close of the sixty-nine weeks ? 
What was the desire of every Jewish 
mother ? Did they know w^here the 
Saviour would be born ? Who proph- 
esied of John ? How long had his 
voice been heard ? How many his- 
torical facts established the time of 
John's preaching ? Who came to 
hear John's preaching ? How did 
John recognize Him? 

29. Who was looking for the Saviour? 

What did John say of him? What 
did Christ say of the time ? In 
what condition was the nation ? 
What book would have enlightened 
them? What books, if studied, will 
warn the world to-day ? 

30. What two signs were mentioned by Ga- 

briel? How many of the seventy 
weeks remained ? What was done in 
the first half of the week ? 

31. What w^as to take place in the " midst 

of the week " ? When was this f ul" 
filled ? How was this showni in the 
temple ? What became of the sacri- 
ficial lamb ? Who had withdrawn 
from the temple ? What forever 
ceased ? When did these things take 
place ? How did God still try to save 
the Jewish people ? Give the results. 
When was Stephen stoned ? What 
resulted from this persecution ? How 



330 



INDEX OF MARGINAL REFERENCES. 



long after this was Jerusalem de- 
stroyed ? 

32. What can you say of the accuracy of 

the date 457 b. c. ? Give four events 
establishing it. How does history 
establish it ? In what two ways can 
you reckon this period ? 

33. How many of the two thousand three 

hundred years were explained by Ga- 
briel in the ninth chapter ? How 
many remained ? When did the four 
hundred and ninety years end ? 
When did the twenty-three hundred 
years end ? What events then began 
to take place ? 

34. Are any living who helped to give the 

advent message ? How long before 
1844 did they begin to sound the mes- 
sage ? Who was foremost in this 
work ? What mistake was made ? 
When was this message preached? 

35. How did the disappointment affect 

many? What did further study 
show ? What special light was shown 
them? 

36. To what did the sanctuary spoken of by 

Daniel refer? By investigating the 
typical sanctuary service, what was 
revealed ? Whom did they behold in 
heaven ? Of what was the work of 
the high priest a figure ? Upon what 
work did Christ enter in 1844? In 
what was William Miller mistaken ? 
In what was he not mistaken ? 

37. Where are the events between a. d. 34 

and 1844 given ? 

38. What may we expect ? What should 

we do ? 

CHAPTER XL 

THE SANCTUARY. 

1. What led to the disappointment in 1844? 

2. How many sanctuaries are brought to 

view ? What is the first ? How 
many have been permitted to see it ? 
What is the second ? How was it 
built ? How long was service held 



in the second ? What did those fol- 
lowing the shadow reach ? 

3. When did the Saviour leave the temple 

for the last time ? What did He say ? 
How did His words affect the peo- 
ple ? Although the building remained, 
what had ceased to be ? How did 
the Father confirm the words ? 

4. Does the sinner now need a priest to 

offer his sacrifice ? What has been 
made ? Who can accept ? What 
way was now open ? What had taken 
the place of the earthly sanctuary ? 
Where was man's faith now to cen- 
ter? 

5. What is the third temple mentioned 

in the Bible ? Of what had the Jews 
lost sight ? Of what did they think 
when Jesus spoke of His body-tem- 
ple ? What did Jesus say ? Give 
their reply. 

6. What comes to those who study the 

typical work ? When these rays are 
gathered into the body-temple, what 
do they reflect ? 

7. What was God's original plan ? Who 

gained possession ? Give the result. 
What was necessary to make the 
body a pure temple ? 

8. Why were innocent animals slain ? 

9. Where did Adam present his offering ? 

What did he see by faith ? How did 
his heart respond? How did nature 
teach the death of Christ ? 

10. How were the altars at first lighted? 

Who first failed to appreciate the 
sacrifice ? Of what did Satan con- 
vince him ? What was the difference 
between Cain's ;and Abel's offerings? 
Describe Abel's offering. Was it ac- 
cepted ? 

11. Describe Cain's offering. Why was it 

not consumed ? What was lacking ? 

12. Of what are Cain and Abel types? 

How did- the followers of Cain wor- 
ship ? What did they overlook ? 

13. Anciently what did each family have ? 



QUESTIONS FOR STUDY. 



331 



What position did the father occupy ? 
What decided who should act as 
priest ? 

14. What did Jacob see ? Tell the story of 

Joseph. What was Joseph .'* 

15. Why was the earthly sanctuary built.'' 

What did God say ? How long be- 
fore Moses went up into the moun- 
tain? How many days did he re- 
main there ? What had been lost in 
Egypt ? 

16. What did God do to reach man in his 

fallen state ? Of what was the serv- 
ice in the earthly sanctuary a shadow ? 

17. What was the w^hole Jewish econ- 

omy ? What was every act in that 
service ? What is this w-ork called ? 

18. Why did they not see light flashing 

from sacrificial offerings ? Whom did 
they reject? 

19. Follow step by step the work done by 

the sinner who brought an offering. 
Give the work of the priest. 

20. Describe the ark. 

21. Describe the articles of furniture in the 

first apartment. 

22. Where was the blood placed? What 

was signified by this? What does 
the sinner behold ? 

23. Was the sinner forgiven ? What does 

he say of his influence ? Where was 
the blood poured ? What does the 
blood represent ? What fact is taught 
- by this act ? 

24. Who separated the fat from the offer- 

ing ? What was done with the fat ? 
What did this work typify ? Why 
was the burning of the fat a sweet 
savor to God ? 

25. What lesson was taught the sinner by 

the act of separating the fat from the 
offering ? 

26. What truth was taught while searching 

for the fat? To what is the Spirit 
compared ? What did the sinner re- 
alize ? 



27. Describe the offering where the flesh 

w^as eaten by the priest. What 
wonderful truth was taught by this 
service ? 

28. What did each offering present ? Of 

what was the incense an object-les- 
son? 

29. How often was the fire replenished ? 

What were the people doing at the 
time of incense? Give the antitype 
of the seven lamps. How many are 
enlightened by the Spirit ? 

30. What did the table of shewbread rep- 

resent ? 

31. What position did the ark occupy, and 

what did it contain ? What names 
are accepted ? 

32. Give the significance of the continual 

burning. What was done with the 
ashes, and what truth w^as taught 
thereby ? 

33. Mention some things that would call 

forth questions from the children. 

34. What was the design of much of the 

service in ancient Israel ? 

35. What question would the children ask 

in regard to the passover ? 

36. Why were the stones piled up by Jor- 

dan ? What would a correct answer 
to the children's inquiries acquaint 
them with ? 

37. Describe the offering for the leper. 

What change will be made in the air 
by the blood of Christ ? 

38. What is said of earth, air, and water ? 

What was typified by the earthen 
dish containing the blood ? By the 
cedar wood and hyssop dipped in the 
blood? 

39. Of what was the scarlet wool dipped in 

the blood a pledge ? 

40. What have we to study ? What wull be 

restored through the blood of Christ ? 
With what did the blood of Christ 
come in contact ? How were the two 
extremes in vegetation represented at 
the cross ? 



332 



QUESTIONS FOR STUDY. 



41. Was there an antitype of the scarlet 

while His blood was flowing from 
those cruel wounds ? Describe the 
scene at the cross. 

42. What three statements are given in re- 

gard to the blood of the world's Re- 
deemer ? What is said of him whose 
sins were as scarlet ? 

43. What was typified by the various feasts ? 

Give the antitype of the passover 
and the first-fruits. 

44. To what did all the services point? 

45. What was the crowning service of the 

year, and what was accomplished by 
it? 

46. What was revealed to Daniel ? When 

did it besfin ? What was seen when 
the ark was opened in heaven ? What 
encircled the fourth commandment ? 
To what did they listen ? 

47. When did the judgment open ? What 

is the standard in the judgment? 
What is God's will concerning His 
people ? Of w^hat w^as the day of 
atonement a type ? 

48. How anciently did all know when the 

day of atonement came? How was 
it kept ? What was the difference be" 
tween the day of atonement and the 
weekly Sabbath ? What was read 
from the Sacred Scroll ? How was 
the day spent? What statement was 
repeated ? 

49. Give the difference between Gentile and 

Jewish homes. Give the work of the 
priest in the temple. 

50. Who were represented by the two goats ? 

What was done with the Lord s 
goat ? Give in detail the work of 
the high priest in the most holy 
place. Where did he pause as he 
came out ? How did he cleanse the 
golden altar in the first apartment ? 
For what were the people listening ? 

51. When was the scapegoat introduced ? 

Describe the part the scapegoat had 
in the service. 



52. Did the congregation behold this serv- 

ice ? How did the people feel when 
they beheld this service ? When did 
they rejoice in freedom from sin ? 

53. What does the antitype mean to us ? 

What was shown by the day of atone- 
ment's being a rest and a fast day ? 

54. In what time are we living ? What are 

we admonished to do ? When the 
last case is decided, what decree will 
be issued ? Who comes in for a part 
in the service after every case has 
been decided ? 

55. Who will behold the sins laid upon Sa- 

tan? Where will he spend the thou- 
sand years ? Where will he go at the 
end of that time ? When will type 
fully meet antitype ? What will then 
be seen ? 

56. What is said of the sins of Israel? 

What will reign forever ? 

57. What is Christ doing for us ? Are you 

performing your part ? 

58. What was necessary in the type in order 

for the work to be of any avail for 
the people ? Who was cut off ? 

59. Answ^er carefully each question asked in 

this paragraph. How many will heed 
the warning ? What will they do ? 

CHAPTER XII. 

INTRODUCTION TO THE LAST VISION. 

1. What is recorded in the last three chap- 

ters of Daniel ? To w^hat is the tenth 
chapter a preliminary ? To what was 
Daniel drawing near? How were his 
last days spent ? What had taken 
place since the events recorded in the 
ninth chapter? To what was his 
godly life a rebuke ? What did God 
do to those ungodly men ? How was 
Daniel regarded by Darius? Upon 
the accession of Cyrus, where did he 
remain ? 

2. What had Cyrus done in the first year 

of his reign? How did he feel re- 



QUESTIONS FOR STUDY.. 



333 



garding the Jews ? Why did Cyrus 
doubt the wisdom of the decree? 
Whom did the Jews represent ? 
When pardon and freedom are of- 
fered, what do they choose ? Why 
was the voice of God dimly heard by 
the Jews ? 

3. What two things weighed heavily upon 

Daniel? At what did he wonder? 
What was it he could not understand ? 

4. What did he determine to do two years 

after the decree ? Did he practice 
total abstinence from food? What 
did he partake of, and how did he 
spend his time ? What was his pur- 
pose? Of what does the spiritual 
life often partake ? How should' the 
soul affect the body ? Where did 
the prophet go to strengthen his 
mind? Whom did he take -vNith him? 
What led the prophet's mind out 
after God ? 

5. How long did he thus seek God ? As 

he looked up, whom did he see 
by his side ? How did the vision af- 
fect his companions ? To what is the 
countenance of Christ compared? 
What is the character of one who 
can bear the light of heaven ? 

6. How did the eyes of the Son of God 

appear? How has He promised to 
" guide thee " ? 

7. What had Daniel's ears long been ac- 

customed to hear? How did the 
voice of the Son of God sound to 
Daniel ? How does it sound to ears 
unaccustomed to heavenly sounds ? 
Who after\vard had a similar experi- 
ence? In what two ways was the 
same voice heard ? 

8. How did Daniel feel when he compared 

himself to Christ ? How does he de- 
scribe his condition ? Describe his 
position. 

9. As Gabriel touched him, and lifted him 

up, what did he say? Describe the 
touch of Christ's hand. 



10. Describe the touch of Gabriel's hand. 

Who should have this life current 
in them to-day ? Why did Christ 
come to earth? 

11. How long after Daniel began to pray, 

was the vision given? Explain the 
cause of Gabriel's delay. Where had 
the angel been ? 

12. Until a nation is rejected by God, who 

are in the midst of their councils ? 
Who is a constant watcher in legisla- 
tive halls to-day ? Of what is every 
just decree the result ? Where was 
this influence at work ? What would 
have been the result if Daniel had 
ceased to pray at the end of one or 
two weeks? Quote the promise in 
regard to prayer. Why do we not 
always receive an immediate answer ? 

13. What did the angel ask the prophet? 

For what purpose did he say he had 
come ? What is the physical condi- 
tion of those in vision ? When could 
he speak ? Who stood by his side to 
strengthen him? What did he ex- 
plain ? 

14. Can the effect of the Spirit of God on 

a person be explained ? Who speaks 
through the human instrument? In 
W'hat condition are the eyes of one 
in vision ? What do they see ? When 
earth's attraction is broken, where 
are they taken ? When a live coal is 
laid upon the lips, what do they 
speak ? 

15. How did Gabriel express his love for 

Daniel ? How did the gray-haired 
prophet respond ? 

16. What were revealed ? How does man 

often record events ? Why ? What 
class of events are recorded when 
God writes history? Where is this 
fact especially noticeable ? How does 
Gabriel give the events of hundreds 
of years ? What does he bring into 
prominence ? How can these events 
be understood ? 



334 



.QUESTIONS FOR STUDY. 



17. What books should be studied in order 
to understand the scriptural history 
of Persia? To what period is the 
history carried in these books ? When 
is the record silent ? 

CHAPTER XIII. 

HISTORY OF THE DECREES. 

1. Why did the angel begin with the Per- 

sian history ? When was the vision 
given ? What had Daniel seen in 
vision? Who is the only authentic 
Historian,? Where is the only unbi- 
ased history found? How many un- 
broken threads are there in the web 
of life ? What is this ? In what way 
is Egyptian history noted? When 
and for what is a nation noticed by 
the Divine Historian ? 

2. Why did the Medo-Persian kingdom ex- 

ist ? When did it pass from the 
stage of action ? 

3. When was the Medo-Persian nation 

bom ? Who was the first king ? Give 
his age. Who stood by him during 
his reign ? What opportunity was 
given Darius ? What position was 
given Daniel ? Did Darius know of 
the true God ? How did he respond ? 
How long did he reign ? 

4. Who worked with the kings of Persia ? 

Give the first words of Gabriel in this 
last vision. Who can help when 
God's influence is withdrawn ? What 
emphatic illustration is given ? 

5. How long had Cyrus been reigning? 

When had he given freedom to the 
Jews? Where was the news her- 
alded ? What did he offer the Jews ? 
How did they respond ? Of what is 
this a commentary ? 

6. What was the character of Babylon? 

What was the nature of Cyrus' de- 
cree ? Of what is this an illustration ? 

7. Why were the Jews so slow ? What 

should they have done ? Give the re- 
sult of attending Babylonish schools. 



8. If they had been true, what might have 

been ? When was this opportunity 
offered them ? What brought Daniel 
and his fellows into favor with the 
king? What might have been es- 
tablished then? What had God 
always intended ? Did Israel do this ? 
What answers the question ? What 
was the result ? 

9. How was it with those who went to 

Jerusalem? How did the laying of 
the foundation of the temple affect 
the old men ? How did the delay on 
the part of the people affect Cyrus ? 
How long did Daniel fast and pray 
before his prayer was answered? 
What were Michael and Gabriel do- 
ing during this time ? What was 
Cyrus ready to do had the Jews done 
their part ? Is there any further rec- 
ord of Cyrus? Why was his work 
but partially accomplished ? 
10. Who influenced the Jews to delay ? 
What part did Gabriel act ? How 
long did Cambyses reign ? How did 
he spend the most of his time ? What 
is Cambyses called in the Scripture? 
Who wrote letters of complaint to 
him against the Jews ? Why were 
they unnoticed? What liberty was 
still given the Jews ? Why did they 
remain in Babylon ? Did they ever 
wish they had left Babylon ? 
11. Where was Cambyses slain? Who 
took the throne ? By what name is 
he known in history? What is his 
Bible name ? How long did he reign ? 
What did he. do during this time? 
Where do we find this letter ? Is 
there anything else recorded of this 
monarch ? 

12. How did this letter affect the work at 

Jerusalem ? How did the Jew^s rea- 
son ? Whom did God raise up at this 
time ? 

13, Give the financial condition of the peo- 

ple. 



QUESTIONS FOR STUDY. 



335 



14. How did God work in Babylon ? Who 

succeeded Smerdis ? How is he 
spoken of in Ezra 4 : 24 ? 

15. While the Jews were so unbelieving, 

what was God doing? What did 
Haggai and Zechariah do ? Who 
next warned the Jews to cease work ? 
What did the leading Jews quote to 
vindicate their cause ? Who wrote 
to the king, and what was the result ? 

16. What was seen in this? What com- 

mand was given to their enemies ? 

17. What did Tatnai and Shethar-Boznai do ? 

Why was seeming defeat turned into 
victory? What was the result of 
God's confounding worldly policy ? 

18. What warnings were still heard ? 

19. How long did God keep Darius' heart 

tender toward His people ? 

20. Who was watching for the Jews to re- 

turn to Jerusalem ? What was given 
Zechariah ? What opportunity was 
given Jerusalem ? What did Zecha- 
riah hear one of the angels say to 
another ? What did God promise for 
a wall ? 

21. What words of the Lord were heard? 

What was embraced in this promise ? 

22. What did God say should be seen 

through the whole earth ? What re- 
markable promises were uttered ? 

23. To what time were their minds pointed ? 

24. What was the effect of their beginning 

to build ? 

25. Who recorded the promise of the latter 

rain? Study carefully the marginal 
texts by the promise of the latter 
rain. What would be in Jerusalem ? 
What did the prophet see in the 
future ? 

26. Who was reigning in Persia when these 

visions were given ? Why were these 
promises not fulfilled in the past ? 
Who are heirs to the same promises 
to-day ? 

27. What prophecy was given by Daniel ? 

28. Who were the three kings that followed 



Cyrus ? Name the fourth king. When 
did he come upon the throne ? Give 
his Bible name. What book in the 
Bible is wholly devoted to the Per- 
sian history during his reign ? 

29. When did Persia reach the height of 

its glory ? How many provinces did 
Persia then rule ? What was the 
capital city ? Describe the display of 
Xerxes' wealth as recorded in Esther. 
What other feast was similar to this? 
Describe the furnishings of the palace. 

30. What familiar story is mentioned ? 

What was the result of the queen's 
refusal? Who was Esther? With 
whom had she lived ? Give her char- 
acter from childhood. 

31. What position was held by Mordecai? 

Give the moral condition of the court. 
What did Mordecai refuse to do? 
How were the Jews regarded at this 
time ? What had they failed to do ? 

32. How long had mercy been extended? 

Mention the different times when 
forty years had been given to accom- 
plish a certain work. 

33. What decree was issued after the Per- 

sians had waited about forty years for 
the Jews to leave Babylon ? What 
did God permit when entreaty failed ? 
What does God prepare in the midst 
of persecution ? 

34. Who had guarded Hadassah? When 

men failed to represent God's work, 
whom did he use ? How could God 
use Esther's beauty ? 

35. Give the import of the decree. How 

was it proclaimed throughout the 
kingdom? In what did Satan tri" 
umph ? 

36. Where was the decree first published ? 

What was the effect ? 

37. How did Esther receive the decree? 

What did it bring to her? Who 
joined with her in fasting and prayer ? 
How did she approach the king? 
What was before her ? 



336 



QUESTIONS FOR STUDY. 



38. By whom and how had God prepared 

for her deliverance? 

39. Give the fate of Haman, and the re- 

ward of Mordecai. How did the 
Jews escape ? What is a counter- 
part of Haman's decree ? Where will 
it find many of the professed people 
of God? How will God's true peo- 
ple be delivered? 

40. Why is this record preserved in history ? 

41. How is the character of Xerxes shown ? 

Why did he muster an immense 
army? What accompanied the ef- 
fort? 

42. Under whose reign was the final decree 

issued for the return of the Jews? 

43. Where is this decree found ? When 

was it issued ? What wonderful pro- 
phetic period began at this time ? 
What did Artaxerxes' decree con- 
tain ? 

44. How long was this after the decree of 

Cyrus ? In what year did Nehemiah 
go up to Jerusalem ? How had Ezra 
suffered ? How were the w^alls built ? 
In what ways did the Jews reform ? 

45. What proportion of the Jews were 

saved ? 

46. What might Jerusalem have become ? 

What power was next mentioned by 
Daniel ? What became of Media and 
Persia ? 

47. What is included in the history of the 

decrees ? 

48. What do we individually find in the his- 

tory of Persia? What should we do ? 

CHAPTER XIV. 

HISTORY OF GREECE. 

1. What is contained in the first two verses 

of this chapter ? What history is 
given in verses 3 13? What was 
made known to Daniel ? What had 
been difficult for Daniel ? In what 
manner is this last prophecy given ? 

2. What is said of the words used, and the 



events selected? In reading the Bi- 
ble, what two lines of thought are 
found? How must we seek for the 
deeper meaning? Of what may the 
reader catch a glimpse ? 

3. Why did God give the history of these 

four kingdoms ? What creates an in- 
centive to understand the prophecies ? 
What increases the desire to study 
the book of Daniel ? What is rep- 
resented by the history of Babylon as 
a nation ? Notwithstanding its splen- 
dor, what was it ? What was written 
above the city ? 

4. Whose daughter was Medo-Persia ? Of 

what did she partake ? What is said 
of her religious principles ? What 
partially checked the wickedness of 
Medo-Persia ? What is revealed in 
the decree of Ahasuerus ? 

5. In what did Medo-Persia take an im- 

portant part ? How was it with the 
Greek nation ? What relation did 
she sustain to Babylon ? How is this 
illustrated in the family relation ? 
Who are the three daughters of Baby- 
lon ? How do they differ ? 

6. What nation spans the gulf between the 

Old and the New Testament ? What 
period was without a prophet? Of 
what family are the Grecians descend- 
ants ? Where did they settle ? What 
was developed in this broken country ? 
What did they have in common ? 

7. To what did their religion bear a close 

resemblance ? How were these forms 
and ceremonies carried to other na- 
tions ? What became a model to the 
Greeks? Where is the origin of 
everything good and beautiful? 

8. By what was the gross idolatry of Baby- 

lon and Egypt replaced in Greece? 
What can you say of these customs ? 
How was the aesthetic taste of the 
Greeks developed ? What was lack- 
ing in their nature study ? What did 
they worship ? Give the result. 



QUESTIONS FOR STUDY. 



337 



9. What can you say of their history ? 
Why did they wander in darkness? 
Of what is their history a reminder ? 
Whom do the worldly students of 
to-day worship ? Upon what are they 
fed ? Of what are they ignorant ? 

10. Did the Greeks offer sacrifices ? How 

was the spirit of prophecy manifested ? 

11. What can you say of the Grecian priest- 

hood ."* What replaced the sacred 
feasts of Jehovah's people ? What 
did the feasts promote ? What did 
the Grecian games promote ? Why 
did God's people meet together? 
What was the object of the Grecian 
gatherings ? 

12. What history is included in the Grecian 

history? What can you say of the 
people ? Who was Plato ? When 
did he live? What was combined 
to form " the traditions " in Christ's 
day ? What was the " science falsely 
so-called " ? 

13. With many, what has replaced the Bi- 

ble ? What can you say of Plato's 
teaching? How did his followers 
come under the condemnation of 
Christ ? 

14. Where do we find the most subtle er- 

ror? Where was this mixture first 
found ? What was enslaved by Baby- 
lon ? What was conquered by Greece ? 
Give the effect of this. 

15. Give what the angel said of Persia. Of 

Greece. What is said of Alexander's 
character and education ? 

16. When did he begin to reign ? What did 

he do ? 

17. By what symbol was the third kingdom 

represented ? How long a period was 
covered by this symbol ? What was 
represented by the wings of a fowl? 
By the lithe form and spots of the 
leopard? With what is Grecian ed- 
ucation inseparably connected ? 

18. Name some of Alexander's conquests. 

What three gifts were combined in 

22 



Alexander ? How did he seek to win 
the favor of the conquered races ? 

19. Describe Alexander's visit to Jerusalem. 

Who went out to meet him ? 

20. How did Alexander surprise his army? 

What was explained to him ? Into 
whose presence was h e brought ? 
What message was given him? With 
what results ? 

21. How did Alexander gratify his pride ? 

What might he have been ? Of what 
was this the result ? What was the 
outcome of such a choice ? Of what 
is this a commentary ? 

22. What choice is shown by his doing 

" according to his will " ? How many 
minds are there in the universe ? 
Name them. When we claim to ex- 
ercise our own mind, whose mind 
controls us ? What brings liberty ? 
Of what is the Greek philosophy the 
continuation ? 

23. Give an account of the struggle for 

power after Alexander's death. How 
long did the strife continue ? In 
what way was it settled ? What 
prophecy was thus fulfilled ? Which 
division was first overthrown ? 

24. How were the divisions reduced to two ? 

When ? Quote Spurrell's translation 
of Daniel 11:5. 

25. Give the first two kings of the North, 

and the first three of the South. 

26. What did Gabriel give Daniel ? What 

relation did these nations sustain to 
the people of God ? 

27. Explain how Greece was the universal 

power. What entered every country 
Alexander had conquered ? Show the 
extent of the Greek religion, games, 
education, and language. What city 
became an educational center ? Give 
the quotation from the Encyclopedia 
Britannica. 

28. Give instances where Israel twice escaped 

Egyptian bondage ? By what were 
they finally captured ? 



338 



QUESTIONS FOR STUDY. 



29. Locate the history of Greece. What 

can you say of the system of educa- 
tion that God gave .-* For what did 
Israel often exchange it ? 

30. What prepared the Jews to accept 

Greek teaching? 

31. To what extent were the Greek games 

introduced ? What is said of Greek 
names? 

32. Tell of the Saviour's early education^ 

Where were other youths educated ? 

33. What is a wonder to man ? What did 

God turn to His glory? What was 
done by Ptolemy Philadelphus ? How 
did this turn to the glory of God ? 
How was man without excuse ? 
What was the household tongue at 
this time? To what is the word of 
God compared? 

34. What is shown in Daniel 11:3-5? What 

was the enemy's plan? Under this 
influence what was accomplished ? 

35. What is found in Daniel 11 : 6-13 ? In 

what way did the Greek influence in 
the northern kingdom differ from that 
in the southern? Which division 
carried forward the work symbolized 
by the leopard and rough goat ? What 
two opposing powers are seen in his- 
tory? In what way was this mani- 
fested in the Middle Ages ? 

36. What fact is revealed by history ? What 

nations have trouble ? In what direc- 
tion have universal powers gained 
conquest ? 

37. In spite of all this, what was attempted ? 

Quote Spurrell's translation of Dan- 
iel 11 : 6. What can you say of this 
verse ? How long before its fulfill- 
ment was it written ? Relate the his- 
tory that fulfilled this verse. 

88. Give the history that fulfilled verses 7 
and 8. 

39. Did the trouble cease at this time ? Who 
held much of Syria? When? Who 
undertook to regain this territory? 



Describe the sons of Callinicus and 
give their names. 

40. What two kings began to reign about 

the same time ? Give the character 
of the southern king. What was the 
result of Antiochus' invasion of 
Egypt ? 

41. What did Ptolemy attempt ? Who pre- 

vented it ? What was the result ? 
What might have been during this 
period? Why did the Jews locate in 
Palestine ? Where were they ? If 
they had done their duty, what would 
have been the result ? 

42. What should have been an object les- 

son to the Jews? Where should 
the youth have gone for an educa- 
tion ? Who should have been teach- 
ers ? What did Israel seek ? 

43. Between whom was peace concluded ? 

How long did it last ? What did An- 
tiochus design ? What was he made 
to realize ? 

44. What power is introduced in the four- 

teenth verse ? What is said of Gre- 
cian struggles after this time ? How 
was the power of Greece perpetu- 
ated ? What is her shrine ? What 
can you say of that power to-day ? 
How long will it continue ? 

45. What choice is offered the Israel of 

to-day? How may eterna^ life be 
gained? What course will bring 
death ? Why ? What is the motive 
• power of God's system? What is 
exalted by the Greek system? 

46. Why has eternal truth always shown on 

the pathway of men? When does 
Greek philosophy and skepticism 
come forth in full force? What is 
the only safeguard ? 

CHAPTER XV. 

THE FOURTH KINGDOM. 

1. What pKDwer is introduced in the four- 
teenth verse of the eleventh chapter ? 
How far did Gabriel follow the his- 



QUESTIONS FOR STUDY. 



339 



tory of Greece ? What prevailed in 
the once mighty empire of Alexan- 
der ? Of what did the angel of proph- 
ecy speak? How was the fourth 
kingdom introduced ? 

2. How was every word given? Is there 

any significance in the introduction of 
what was to become the mightiest 
kingdom on earth ? What was it to 
be to the people of God ? How was 
Rome represented in the seventh 
chapter ? What were its characteris- 
tics ? What was this power to speak ? 
How did this affect the prophet ? 

3. What did Daniel see in the next vision ? 

From, whence did the little horn 
spring ? How was this kingdom de- 
scribed ? What was to be its char- 
acter? What attitude did it assume 
toward Christ? What is meant by 
establishing the vision ? 

4. Putting all these thoughts together, 

what do we see ? What did each 
nation have, and why is it here re- 
corded? Of what was Babylon an 
example ? What did her religion 
counterfeit ? What was the result of 
this? Of what was Medo-Persia a 
type ? What is said of her laws ? 
How were the heads of this despot- 
ism kept in check ? 

5. Wherein was Greece different from the 

two p'-eceding nations ? How did she 
gain control? When Babylon was 
overthrown, and Medo-Persia was no 
more, where was Greece ? 

6. What is said of the fourth kingdom ? 

How is Rome represented in Revela- 
tion 13 : 2 ? What united in this king- 
dom? What are the principal points 
in the history of any nation ? What 
was the character of Rome ? Why 
was the time of the supremacy short- 
ened? 

7. In what year did Ptolemy Epiphanes 

fall heir to the throne of Egypt? 
Who planned his overthrow and the 



division of his empire ? What power 
arose to prominence before the 
prophet's eye ? Had Rome been in 
existence before ? How far back does 
the traditional history of Rome date ? 
What prophet began to prophesy 
about the time Rome was founded? 
Who founded Rome ? What was the 
character of the Romans? In the 
establishment of a strong central gov- 
ernment, who aided the people ? 
What beast received a seat, power, 
and great authority from the dragon? 

8. What must the student recognize in each 

nation ? When Satan found he had 
failed in the history of Babylon, 
Medo-Persia, and Greece, what did 
he attempt ? What city did he 
choose ? What can you say of his 
plans ? What did Satan hope ? How 
long will his efforts last ? 

9. By what was Rome first ruled ? What 

was spanned by Greek governments ? 
Who demanded representation in the 
Roman government ? How long did 
the kings rule ? Who reigned for the 
next two centuries ? In whose hands 
did the government finally rest ? 

10. How does God rule ? Who are repre- 

sentatives in the councils of heaven ? 
Why was Satan admitted to this 
council ? What did he attempt to do 
in Rome ? 

11. How did Rome begin her career as a 

conquering nation? How was her 
constitution developed ? How did she 
acquire her territory ? Locate and 
name a rival city. How long did 
Rome fight for supremacy? With 
what result ? How does Ridpath ex- 
press the policy of the government ? 

12. What was Rome doing while she hov- 

ered over Carthage ? What nation 
was made one of her provinces? 
What was the result ? What was for- 
bidden ? What was this state of 
things called ? 



340 



QUESTIONS FOR STUDY. 



13. Who were sold in the slave markets of 

Rome ? What became a proverbial 
expression for anything cheap ? 
What policy scheme is mentioned? 
A few years later, what became of the 
Macedonians? What is said of the 
Grecians ? From what were the Ro- 
mans relieved ? What was this 
called ? 

14. What family was still bearing sway in 

the Eastern world? Who proposed 
to unite with Philip V. of Macedon? 
Who interfered ? What happened to 
Antiochus in the battle of Magnesia? 

15. Who controlled Egypt ? Why ? What 

is said of the Roman army and the 
extent of its power ? 

16. What is said of the republic of Rome ? 

What is impossible when nations de- 
part from the principles of true lib- 
erty of conscience? Is this true in 
individual experience? When only 
is true liberty known ? 

17. What does this line of policy demand ? 

What can you say of the Roman 
army ? 

18. State what is said of the power of the 

Senate. 

19. What did tradition make the Romans ? 

What does the inspired penman say 
of this ? Who came to Rome as the 
Prince of Peace ? 

20. What relation did the religion of Rome 

sustain to the government ? What 
was the one all-absorbing institution ? 
What is necessary to become great ? 
What took the place of character ? 

21. What did the form of religion do in 

Rome ? What were some of the 
leading features of the papacy? Who 
was' deified ? Give an illustration of 
this. 

22. Who was the highest religious officer 

during the reign of paganism ? What 
paved the way for the papal hierarchy 
of later days ? 

23. What was borrowed from Greece ? 



24. For what did it train a class of citizens? 

25. Of what is Roman law the basis ? Of 

whom is the Roman lawyer the fore- 
father ? 

26. How many plans have God and Satan ? 

What are they ? What is all history ? 
"What is national history ? 

27. What do students often forget? To 

what is national history compared ? 
What should be remembered ? 

28. At what point did Gabriel call attention 

to the fourth kingdom ? In what 
condition was the republic ? What 
is said of this transition period be- 
tween the republic and the empire ? 
As the republic lost its power, who 
composed a corporation ? Who con- 
trolled the money ? Who had the 
army ? Who was the master mind ? 

29. What countries were conquered by the 

Roman army ? Who entered Jerusa- 
lem ? What was made known to him ? 
How did Pompey enter the city? 
Where did Rome now stand ? When 
was this ? 

30. Who chose Palestine as the home of the 

Jews ? What was God's wUl concern- 
ing His people during the Roman 
supremacy ? With what had God in- 
trusted His people ? What was the 
object of God in bringing different 
nations to the Jews ? If the Hebrew 
race had been true to its appointed 
duty, would the history of the world 
have been changed ? Who came to 
Jerusalem ? Why ? What was the 
result ? Why ? 

31. During what rule did Rome again enter 

Egypt ? Who requested Pompey to 
visit Egypt to settle difficulties? 
What became of Pompey ? Give an 
account of Caesar's visit to Egypt. 

32. Have we any record that Caesar ever 

acknowledged God as the Ruler of 
the nations ? By whom was he fasci- 
nated and corrupted ? What does 
the seventeenth verse describe ? 



QUESTIONS FOR STUDY. 



341 



What is said of the character of 
Egypt? 

33. After leaving Egypt, where did Caesar 

go ? What was the famous dispatch 
he sent to Rome ? What did he do 
on his return to Rome ? 

34. What is said of Caesar? What was 

granted to the citizens of many cities ? 
What did he grant to all scientific 
men of whatever nationality ? What 
were found among his papers after his 
death? How did he die ? What did 
Gabriel say he would do ? Why was 
heaven watching ? 

35. When did Julius Caesar come to an un- 

timely death? What became of 
republicanism ? 

36. Who died shortly after this ? What be- 

came of Antony ? Who alone re- 
mained ? What does Gibbon say of 
this ? Whose ambition leveled every 
barrier of the Roman constitution ? 
What power did the provinces gladly 
welcome ? Who restored the Senate 
to its former dignity ? When are the 
principles of a free constitution irre- 
vocably lost ? Who was proclaimed 
emperor of Rome ? 

37. What is Augustus called in Daniel 

11:20? 

38. What was the condition of the world at 

this time ? How extensive was the 
territory of this government? Why 
did Satan exult ? What did this mo- 
ment of quiet resting precede ? 

39. Why did Mary and Joseph go to the lit- 

tle town of Bethlehem ? What was 
most favorable to Christ? Whom 
had Satan opposed since the rebellion 
in heaven ? How did Christ come 
into the world? Who had often 
tended his flocks on the plains of 
Bethlehem ? What did the shep- 
herds hear ? What had the wise 
men been reading ? What did they 
f.- see ? What did they know ? How 

was it with the rest of the empire ? 



40. Give at least ten facts regarding Bethle- 

hem. 

41. What is said of the story of Bethlehem ? 

How many knew of the birth of 
Christ ? 

42. How much is given concerning Augus- 

tus? What had he unconsciously 
done ? 

43. Why was Cyrus called to the throne? 

Of w'hat was Caesar Augustus an 
agent ? Who was to be bom in the 
city of David ? 

44. Who was reigning during the most of 

the life of Christ? How does Ga- 
briel describe Tiberius ? What is said 
of him ? What began to manifest 
itself ? What entirely ceased ? What 
right did the emperor usurp ? What 
did the governors of Judah reflect ? 
What was the condition of the Jews 
when the time drew near for the Sav- 
iour to appear ? Upon whom. did. 
they base all their hopes ? What did'. 
they expect He would do? What; 
was Satan's studied plan ia all this?' 

45. What did he seek to do in Babylon?' 

What did he hope to do through the 
Medo-Persian kingdom ? What did he 
do through the teachings of. Greece,? 
What did this lead men t& forget ? 
In what did a few have faitki^ What 
was John the Baptist's work ? 

46. While Tiberius was reigning and plan- 

ning, what was the Man of God do-^ 
ing ? Who watched Him ? Who 
attended and shi^ded Him, from the. 
enemy? What did they finally do 
to Christ? Who was responsible for 
it ? Who upheld them in the act ? 
If the Jews had not put Christ to 
death, who would have done it .-*- Wha 
nailed the Son of God to the cross? 
With whom did they JToin hands ? 

47. Name the representatives from the 

quarters of the globe that stood 
near Christ in His last hours. Who 
helped hear the.- cross^? What did. 



342 



QUESTIONS FOR STUDY. 



the Roman soldiers say? What 
was typified by the darkness that 
shrouded the dying form of Christ ? 
What did the light that shown about 
the tomb when the Son of God came 
forth, typify? 

CHAPTER XVI. 

THE MYSTERY OF INIQUITY. 

1. What had been tested ? In whom did 

eternal truth dwell? How did the 
death of Christ affect Satan? Look- 
ing forward to His crucifixion, what 
did Jesus say ? After Satan was cast 
out of heaven, with whom did he 
meet from time to time ? What had 
these unfallen beings questioned ? 
What did they witness ? Since Sa- 
tan was cast to the earth, how has he 
worked ? 

2. How and where was the gospel 

preached ? How long did it take 
to warn the world? What was the 
result of the persecution in Jerusa- 
lem? What barrier did the gospel 
break down ? 

3. What was the result of the spread of 

the truth ? What has been the great- 
est drawback in Christian experience ? 

4. What was the character of the love of 

the first church ? How and for what 
purpose did mothers watch their 
children ? 

5. What did the pagans notice in the new 

sect ? What is said of the Christians 
and their worship ? 

6. What had the enemy of all truth sought 

to do ? What was the condition 
when Christ came ? What did Sa- 
tan do to deceive the Son of Man ? 
How was Christ tempted? What 
dwelt in mortal clay ? What was 
broken by His resurrection? From 
the foot of the cross, whom did God 
choose ? For what purpose ? 

7. What did outward pressure fail to do ? 



What examples are given ? What 
nations have attempted to overthrow 
the truth ? What new plan was de- 
vised by Satan ? Of what plan is 
this a repetition ? 

8. What did Paul write to the Thessalo- 

nians concerning the working of this 
power ? Of what is it a description ? 

9. What crept into the pure church ? Who 

lay in the Christian garb ? With 
what did the mystery of Christ come 
in contact ? Who only is safe from 
deception ? 

10. When did the mystery of iniquity begin 

its work ? From this period onward, 
of what power does history speak? 
How did the mystery of iniquity 
work ? What is said of the distinc- 
tion between kings of the North and 
of the South ? What two sides of 
' this controversy are manifest ? 

11. What is said of the " Church of God " ? 

12. What characteristics mark the true 

church? How has God honored 
them ? What has been offered every 
denomination? What is the effect 
of rejecting truth in nations and in- 
dividuals? Who fill the vacancies? 
How long will this succession be kept 
up ? Who will enter the Eternal City ? 
When was this struggle revealed to 
Daniel ? What does the history of 
Rome become ? 

13. To whom were the most details given ? 

What is said of the church of the 
first century ? What is said of the 
church of the second and third cen- 
tury ? For how many centuries were 
Christianity and Paganism in open 
conflict ? How did it affect the fol- 
lowers of Christ ? 

14. What is said of Rome in the third cen- 

tury of the Christian era? What 
made it hard for the emperors to con- 
trol affairs? Where was the author- 
ity ? What pressed the Roman em- 
pire on every side? What did 



QUESTIONS FOR STUDY. 



343 



Diocletian conceive ? Whom did he 
associate with him to accomphsh this 
purpose? Who were associated mth 
the Augusti? 

15. Who was the Caesar of the western di- 

vision of the empire ? When was 
Constantine confronted by bitter 
foes? What is said of his policy? 

16. With whom did Constantine make a 

league? What did Constantine out- 
wardly acknowledge at this time ? 
Under whose name did he now fight ? 

17. What does Gibbon say of the use of 

the cross ? 

18. What had replaced the humble follow- 

ers of Christ ? 

19. What was complete in the days of Con- 

stantine ? Whom did Constantine 
conquer, and over what did he sit as 
sole monarch ? How did he treat the 
Praetorian guard, the senate, and the 
people ? 

20. Give the substance of the extract from 

Gibbon. Upon what are these words 
a sad commentary ? How does Con- 
stantine's life compare with the pa" 
gans? 

21. Who made the first religious law in the 

Christian era ? What noted edict 
was passed by him in 312 ? In what 
year was the first Sunday law passed ? 
What council did he convene in 825 ? 
What was done by this council? 
How did the conflict which then be- 
gan affect the church ? Of what was 
this a great object lesson? 

22. What followed in the wake of his reign ? 

What did he leave to his heirs ? 
State what is said of Constantinople. 
When was the city founded? How 
long was it from the founding of the 
city to the victory of Octavius over 
Antony at Actium ? 

23. Of what was this new policy the out- 

working? What had the kingdoms 
of the past followed ? What was the 
central thought with them? With 



whom did this policy change ? What 
was enthroned in the place of pagan- 
ism ? What is said of Christianity 
at this time ? What does Gibbon say 
hereafter the historian will describe ? 

24. How is the work of the devil described ? 

What were the results of Constan- 
tine 's work ? 

25. What is said of the council of Nice ? 

26. By what has the Christian world been 

torn asunder ? What can you say of 
Alexandria ? Who was Athanasius ? 
Who was Arius ? 

27. What two powers met on the battle-field 

when Constantine contended for the 
throne of Rome ? Where was a 
more deadly conflict ? What early 
Fathers adopted the philosophy of 
the Greeks, and applied it to the 
study of the Bible ? Where did 
higher criticism have its birth ? Of 
what was it the result ? Of what is 
it a revival ? Give the result of in- 
troducing Greek philosophy into 
Christian schools. How did this af- 
fect the Roman world, and what did 
it establish ? 

28. What two leaders came from this teach- 

ing? What is said of the disputed 
points over which they wrangled? 
For what purpose was the conncil of 
Nice called? Who called this coun- 
cil, and was present in person ? What 
creed was recognized as orthodox ? 

29. What began when this creed was an- 

nounced and published to the world ? 
Did this check the spread of Arian- 
ism ? Where was the doctrine popu- 
lar ? What was the faith of the Van- 
dals ? What other nations believed 
the Arian faith? Where did they 
settle ? Into what countries did 
Arianism spread? What was the 
faith of the Emperor ? Who became 
the champion of the Catholic cause ? 
When ? 

30. What was to become of three of the 



344 



QUESTIONS FOR STUDY. 



divisions of Rome? Where does 
this part of the history begin in Dan- 
iel 11 ? 

31. What is said of Justinian'r reign ? To 

what is the success of Justinian due ? 

32. What noted warrior favored the Catho- 

Hc faith? Under pretence of pro- 
tecting the dethroned Hilderis, what 
was done? How was he confirmed 
in his work ? What did the bishop 
say in prophetic tones? For what 
purpose was this "holy war "deter- 
mined ? 

33. State facts in regard to both armies. 

Give the result of the conflict. What 
faith triumphed? 

34. Describe the triumph granted Belisarius. 

35. Who plotted against the government 

and the general of Justinian? Why? 
What is said of the wars of Justinian ? 

36. What may be taken as an illustration of 

the extermination of the other two 
kingdoms ? Between what years was 
this accomplished? 

37. What was the taking away of the 

" daily " ? When was the papacy es- 
tablished ? Who established the new 
capital ? How was Rome left ? What 
gave birth and power to the papacy ? 
When was the seed sown by Justin- 
ian harvested? What did this sup- 
port? 

38. What is the striking feature of this his- 

tory ? What principles did the laws 
of this emperor contain ? What does 
Fischer say ? What laws became the 
basis of national laws to-day ? What 
religion is the recognized religion of 
most countries to-day ? 

39. What two men, above all others, were 

instrumental in forming the papacy 
and giving it civil power ? What con- 
test was the means of enthroning the 
papacy? How long did it rule the 
world ? 
-40. What was crushed during this time ? 



The " Dark Ages " were ushered in 
at what date ? 

CHAPTER XVII. 

THE WORK OF THE MYSTERY OF INIQUITY. 

1. What is an important date in Jewish 

history ? What stands as a mile-post 
in the Christian church ? What event 
made the former date important? 
What prophetic period began at this 
point ? What did the latter date wit- 
ness ? What prophetic period began 
in 538 A. D. ? What is said of the 
little horn of Daniel 7 during this 
period? To what date are we 
. brought in the thirty-first verse of 
Daniel 11 ? 

2. Did the papacy develop in a short pe- 

riod ? What other powers illustrate 
the manner of the rise of the papacy ? 
Who gave his power, seat, and great 
authority to the papacy? What two 
Roman emperors were conspicuous 
in preparing the way for the rise of 
the papacy? What event prepared 
the way for the papacy to be seated 
on the Tiber? How was the author- 
ity of the papacy gained ? What did 
each of the four kingdoms have? 
Where did paganism and Christianity 
mingle their waters ? Where did the 
papacy have its birth? Who was its 
mother ? Describe its growth. What 
did Christians do vrith the Bible? 
Give the result. 

3. What was introduced into the Christian 

church ? Why ? Which command- 
ment was dropped from the deca- 
logue ? Which was divided to make 
the number ten ? What is the fourth 
commandment ? How was it altered ? 
How was the Bible treated ? What 
was the result ? 

4. Who was the head of the church, and 

how was he exalted ? What had 
taken place even before this ? Men- 



QUESTIONS FOR STUDY. 



345 



tion eight facts given in regard to the 
work of the japacy. 

5. What settled over the world? When 

the word of God was banished, what 
was extinguished ? What was the 
noontide of the papacy ? 

6. How long a time was allotted to the 

power that was to speak great words 
against the Most High ? Why was 
its time shortened ? What kind of 
bondage was this for the church? 
What little companies were found ? 

7. To what days could the Waldenses 

trace their history ? What were they ? 
What did the power upon the throne 
change ? What had Gabriel told 
Daniel ? Who watched each one who 
gave his life ? 

8. What is said of the deliverance of the 

church from bondage ? To what did 
it give birth? How does this com- 
pare with the deliverance from other 
bondage ? 

9. In what chapter of Revelation is this de- 

liverance mentioned ? What is there 
stated? How were the bands broken 
which Satan had placed around the 
truth ? What is said of the Bible 
during that period ? Were there 
schools for the masses ? What is 
said about books, papers, and physi- 
cians. What became of those who 
dared to advocate learning ? Whom 
did God use to help deliver His peo- 
ple ? Where were their schools es- 
tablished ? What was taught in those 
schools ? 

10. What did Wycliff e accomplish ? When ? 

To whom is he compared ? To whom 
did Wycliffe give the Gospel? By 
what name were his followers known ? 
How were they treated ? Who was 
it that brought Protestantism t o 
America ? 

11. Who lifted up their voices against the 

papacy in Bohemia ? What German 
monk proclaimed liberty of con- 



science ? Where did he first find a 
copy of the Bible ? Was Rome able 
to extinguish this light ? 

12. What became the lesson book for the 

German nation ? Who assisted Lu- 
ther in this work of reform ? What 
place became noted as the seat of 
their principal school ? Who were 
educated and sent forth before the 
death of Luther ? To whom was the 
word of God opened? How was it 
with Rome during this onward march 
of the truth ? How many nations of 
Europe received the light ? How was 
America founded ? 

13. Had every nation accepted the Reforma- 

tion what would have been the result ? 
What was God offering to all these 
nations ? Who was offered the grand 
opportunity of returning from Baby- 
lon to Jerusalem? What was re- 
peated ? How was it treated ? What 
is the result of a nation's rejecting 
the principles of the Reformation ? 

14. What country is an example of such a 

history ? What had been proclaimed 
in her borders ? What verses in this 
eleventh chapter were exactly ful- 
filled in her history ? 

15. What does Scott say in the " Life of 

Napoleon," concerning France in 
1793 ? In what sense does France 
stand apart in the world's history? 
Of what was this the logical result ? 
What is atheism in the individual ? 

16. Who was rejected? What was substi- 

tuted ? 

17. Describe the unveiling of the " Goddess 

of Reason." Of what was it the re- 
sult ? 

18. What are men doing when they give 

private interpretations to the Divine 
Word ? Whom do professed Chris- 
tians follow in doing this? Where 
may the result of such worship be 
read ? 

19. What two institutions had their origin 



346 



QUESTIONS FOR STUDY. 



in Eden? How were they treated 
in France ? 

20. What road was France travelling? 

What does the w'orship of human 
intellect bring ? What took place in 
1798? What tells the story of de- 
struction? Of what is this entire 
history an object lesson ? 

21. What stared France in the face ? Who 

saved the nation? 

22. To what did the Reformation in Ger- 

many in the sixteenth century strike 
a death blow ? What nation became 
the battle-ground between papal tyr- 
anny and Protestantism ? W^hat does 
absolute monarchy always accom- 
pany? What principle is assumed 
by any nation when the light of truth 
is accepted ? 

23. What knew no bounds in France ? Who 

held two-thirds of the land? Who 
issued warrants for arrest and impris- 
onment by his sole authority ? What 
prevailed in every province ? 

24. In what country were the principles of 

the Reformation put into practice ? 

25. When France had reached this state, 

who then appeared ? What was the 
controlling element ? Who were 
powerless ? What was the pope 
forced to do ? What did Napoleon 
organize? Follow Napoleon from 
Malta to Aboukir. To what position 
was Napoleon chosen in 1799 ? What 
constitution did France attempt to 
copy? What was established in 
France ? What did the cause of 
France represent ? 

26. What does the historian say of the re- 

forms of Napoleon? What was se- 
cured by non-Catholics ? Who made 
the pope a prisoner ? When ? What 
prophecy was fulfilled at this time ? 

27. Toward what did the reform of Napo- 

leon tend ? When was he proclaimed 
emperor ? From whom did he re- 
ceive his crown ? What was the re- 



sult of the partial acceptance of the 
truth ? Is this true individually ? 

28. Of what was the establishment of the 

principles of the Reformation in the 
United States the result ? To whom 
is the struggle of France a warning ? 

29. What two kings again contended in 

1798? How is Constantinople recog- 
nized by all the nations in Asia and 
Europe ? In the time of the end, 
what will center about this city ? 

30. When the papacy w^as in power what 

arose ? In what form did the new 
work of Satan come ? How much 
of this world is Mohammedan in 
faith ? W h er e did this doctrine 
originate ? What country became the 
center of its influence ? What river 
banks have fed every form of idol- 
atry ? 

31. In what way did the followers of Mo- 

hammed strive to enter Europe? 
To what country was their influence 
extended ? With what was all Eu- 
rope threatened at this time ? What 
did the battle of Tours check ? Give 
date. When was Constantinople cap- 
tured ? In whose hands has it since 
remained ? What was one of the 
greatest checks of the papacy ? What 
led to the discovery of America? 
Through whom did God work to ad- 
vance the truth ? 

32. How did God use the closing of the 

passage to the eastern world ? What 
often comes from seeming defeat ? 
What is said of the cross ? 

33. What countries at this time belonged to 

the Mohammedans ? On what site 
does a Moslem mosque now stand ? 
What is said of the site of the old 
temple? What countries escaped 
out of the hand of this conquering 
power? Who receives an annual 
tribute from the Turks who pass in 
caravans on their way to Mecca ? 

34. What was the ambition of Napoleon? 



QUESTIONS FOR STUDY. 



34>^ 



What might this have been ? What 
event was not yet due ? What did 
Napoleon recognize ? What other 
country recognized the same ? What 
has caused constant jealousy among 
the nations of Europe ? 

35. Where have the eyes of the v\rorld been 

centered for year? How is Turkey 
universally designated ? What will 
take place in the near future? Do 
the Turks understand this ? What 
has the world been brought to realize 
again and again ? What will take 
place when the Turk steps out of 
Constantinople? What name has 
God given to the battle ? Who trem- 
bled for Turkey ? Who came to 
the rescue, and why? What powers 
united to sustain the life of the " sick 
man " ? 

36. Who are now holding the four winds of 

strife ? For what purpose are they 
being held ? What work is going for- 
ward? What nation stands as a 
guide-post pointing to the work in 
the heavenly sanctuary ? 
37. Whose eye is upon the people of 
God ? Can any man tell when Tur- 
key will leave Europe ? What will be 
said when he does go ? Who will 
then return to heaven ? With what 
word ? What sentence will then be 
pronounced ? Why was the fate of 
Babylon, Medo-Persia, Grecia, and 
Rome recorded? While the world 
watches Turkey, what should the 
servants of God watch ? 

CHAPTER XVIII. 

THE CLOSING SCENE. 

1. How did God regard Daniel ? What had 
God given him several times ? What 
did the last vision cover? Before 
Gabriel left, what did he reveal to 
Daniel ? What is Daniel ? How 
many times are each of the follow- 



ing expressions repeated : " the time 
of the end," " latter days," " the end 
of the indignation," and "for many 
days " ? What were the angel's clos- 
ing words? How many times by pos- 
itive expressions is the mind called to 
the closing scenes of earth ? 

2. When this vision began, where was the 

prophet ? In what year of Cyrus' 
reign was the vision given ? Through 
what kingdoms did he carry the mind 
of the prophet? What was shown 
of Grecian influence ? What was the 
result of this moulding influence on 
the fourth kingdom? What did the 
prophet see on the throne of Rome? 
Before whom was the darkness scat- 
tered? To what is it compared? 
What nation became the battle-field 
between Protestantism and the pa- 
pacy? 

3. What was denied, and what like a pall 

hung over the country ? How was 
France affected by this struggle? 
What was shown the prophet ? For 
what were God's people to patiently 
wait ? 

4. Whom had the prophet watched in. 

tently ? What did he see connecting 
heaven and earth ? 

5. For how long did this light follow the 

Jews ? What came with the first ad- 
vent of Christ ? What changes took 
place in the stream of light ? 

6. What changes took place at the close 

of the two thousand three hundred 
days ? Into what place did our great 
High Priest enter? What was re- 
vealed to Daniel ? What has taken 
place over and over again ? With 
what is the marred record of man's 
life covered ? What did Daniel know ? 

7. What are the nations saying? What 

are they doing ? Whom did the 
prophet see pass through the earth ? 
How long will Christ intercede? 
When the last soul is saved, what 



348 



QUESTIONS FOR STUDY. 



echoes through heaven ? "What does 
the great High Priest lay aside ? 

8. What is then finished ? What door is 

then closed ? 

9. How must those who are sealed stand 

in the time of trouble ? What makes 
this period different from all preced- 
ing tests ? To what is this compared ? 

10. What words were uttered which will 

then be uttered by multitudes ? What 
will roll from other foreheads ? Why 
will there be such deep heart search- 
ing ? What did the mother of Zebe- 
dee's children ask ? To whom did 
Christ say that place belonged ? Who 
will occupy the position mentioned 
by the mother of Zebedee's sons ? 

11. Who besides the sealed ones will know 

that probation has ended ? From 
which of the plagues will there be no 
escape ? How does David describe 
this time of trouble? Who are 
shielded from the effects of the 
plagues ? How will the mountains 
and the islands be affected ? What 
took place at the resurrection of 
Christ ? Who were they and what are 
they said to be ? 

12. At what time will there be another par- 

tial resurrection ? Who will be 
among those who will arise? What 
will they see ? What will become of 
those who come forth to shame and 
everlasting contempt ? 

13. What garments does the Saviour wear ? 

Who are deeply interested in this 
work ? What is the foundation of 
God's throne ? Where will it be 
hung? Who will see it ? 

14. What is painted on the threatening 

clouds? What mingles with all of 
God's dealings until men utterly turn 
from Him ? What has been seen in 
the sky over and over again ? Have 
men listened to its voice ? What do 
the heavens declare? What have 
scientists studied and failed to see ? 



15. What, from the creation of the world, 

has told the plan of redemption? 
Who cannot understand it ? 

16. Why does Jehovah point us to the 

stars ? Who was it that saw the 
Christ-star ? What have men in- 
vented by using God-given ability ? 
Why has God encouraged this effort ? 
With what result ? 

17. What is said of each teacher of right- 

eousness saved in the Kingdom of 
God ? Who will be the center of all ? 

18. As Daniel watched, what did he see and 

hear ? Describe the resurrection of 
the righteous. Toward what place 
do they pass ? Who throws open the 
pearly gates ? What is chanted ? 

19. What are the words that come from 

without? What rings forth from, 
within ? 

20. What does the accompanying host re- 

ply? 

21. Describe the hundred and forty-four 

thousand. What calls forth a song 
of triumph from their lips ? What is 
so wonderful about the singing? 
What rings through heaven? From 
whence come the stones that gleam 
on the Master's crown ? To what are 
the redeemed compared ? What com- 
pletes the circle of perfection ? 

22. What is their relation to t h e king? 

Whose place will the one hundred 
and forty-four thousand take ? Of 
whom was another company com- 
posed ? Then who are seen ? 

23. How many gather around the Father 

and the Son? As Christ looks upon 
them, what does He see, and how is 
He affected? What will He do? 
From whence come streams of light ? 
Who bow in adoration ? Why ? 

24. Of what is the universe composed? 

With what is the immensity of space 
filled ? How are they held in their 
orbits ? From whom is their light re^ 
fleeted ? How are the planets guided? 



QUESTIONS FOR STUDY. 



349 



25. Of what is all this a type ? Of what is 

it a pattern ? How should each com- 
pany shine ? How does God look 
upon each company of worshipers ? 
What is said of their movements? 
How should it be in each family ? 

26. Where will be found the perfection of 

this system ? How are they peculiar ? 
What did the angel say to Daniel? 
What did the prophet have the priv- 
ilege of seeing ? How is the teach- 
ing compared to Christ's teaching ? 

27. What can you say of the last scene 

presented to Daniel ? How will those 
shine that are taken from the depths 
of sin ? 

28. What was Daniel told to do? What 

would take place in the time of the 
end ? 

29. What can you say of the time of the end ? 

What is said of the law of God, and 
of the saints in the beginning of the 
time of the end? What stood full- 
fledged before the world ? What did 
this freedom lead the angel to say ? 

30. Mention some of the inventions of the 

last days. Why does God allow 
these things? 

31. What is marvelous beyond description ? 

What is said of the realms of sci- 
ence ? What is God's object in this ? 
What is it that has led to such intel- 
lectual and moral advancement ? 
How rapidly are messages sent from 
city to city ? How from continent 
to continent ? 

32. How does man look upon these things ? 

How are angels watching them ? 

33. What has God offered to every nation ? 

Why were the Jews lost as a nation ? 
Upon what condition was the Chris- 
tian church to inherit the promises 
made to the Israelites ? 

34. What will be developed in the time of 

the end? What will be one great 
means of their education ? 

35. What was revealed in the first glimpse 



given to the prophet Daniel? "To 
whom is he pointed in the last days ? 
How will the people of God in the 
last days be fortified physically ? 
How will they be fortified mentally ? 

36. In what period do we now live ? What 

separation will take place ? What 
will be the attitude of the faithful 
followers of God ? To what time 
was Daniel's attention centered? 
Who was near the prophet, listen- 
ing to the record of events ? 

37. What question was asked by the angel 

when Gabriel ceased to speak ? Who 
replied ? What did he say ? 

38. How long have angels waited for the 

completion of this plan ? What have 
they looked for in each generation ? 
When they saw the inhabitants of the 
earth loiter, what did one cry out ? 

39. When this period was mentioned by 

Christ, what did Daniel say ? Fear- 
ing that he still might be left in 
doubt, what did he then say ? Had 
any request of this man of God been 
left unanswered ? What was the re- 
ply of the angel ? What was meant 
by the time of the end? What 
would then cease ? 

40. When did this period of twelve hun- 

dred and sixty years begin ? What 
had been changed during this time ? 
What had been bound ? What did 
the persecution tend to do ? At the 
end of this twelve hundred and sixty 
years, what would be restored ? 
When did this «'time, times, and a 
half" end? What has been circu- 
lated since that time as never before ? 
What special light has shone since 
1844? 

41. How have the truths for this time 

spread ? 

42. How did the angel explain the two pe- 

riods that had puzzled the prophet ? 
What does he say of those who live 
at the end of the thirteen hundred 



350 



QUESTIONS FOR STUDY. 



and thirty-five days ? Why will they 
be blest ? What will happen to many ? 
Who will understand ? What will 
some insist upon w^hen the wise un- 
derstand ? What is said of the words 
of Gabriel and Christ ? What two 
texts are quoted ? 
43. How was it with the aged prophet ? 
What had been written ? How long 
would the prophecy stand.? How 
long had the prophet done faithful 
service in the courts of Babylon and 



Shushan? How did Daniel stand 
vdth men ? What did God say of 
him ? 
44. How will ke stand in the last days? 
Name the three agencies that will 
give light to guide the remnant church. 
What two prophets in this sense mil 
stand together ? What will guide the 
faithful few safely through the time 
of trouble, and prepare them for 
Christ's coming ? 



INDEX OF MARGINAL REFERENCES. 



Genesis, 



1:14 151 

1:28 99 

2:16, 17 27, 209 

2:17 64, 208, 237 

2:19, 20 99 

3:1 128 

3:15 127, 156,254 

3:17 27, 162, 167 

3:24 157 

4:3, 4 ; 5 157 

7:7-9 80 

g:i6 247, 290 

10:2 88 

10:2,4 205 

10:8-10 31 

n:i-9 9 31 

12:1 42 

12:8 158 

13:3 244 

15:5 290 

15:16 122 

17:5 81 

18:5-8 ; 27 

18:19 19 

18:20, 21 71 

18:27 179 

19:1, 16 299 

19:3 27 

19:12-16 138 

19514 71 

22:1, 2 288 

22:17 291 

25:34 27 

28:12, 19 243 

28:10-13 158 

28:16 245 

28:22 .....244 

32:24-30 288 

32:24-31 299 

32:28 81, 236 

35:3 158 

35:8 244 

37:3 ; 31 158 

39:9 '58 

49:5, 6 208 

Exodus. 

1:8 '... 74 

5:2 274 

9:16 271 

12:26, 27 165 

14:13 218 

15:1-21 23 

16:23 170 

20:3 Ill 

20:3, 5 250 

20:4, 5 45 

20:8-11 169, 269 

24:16-18 159 

25:8,9 ^58 

25:8-10 164 

25:9,40 79 

2c;22 • -- - 53 

25:40 79, "02, 154 

26:29 ; 31, 32 160 

27:20, 21 ,....160 



28:2 211 

28:40, 41 159 

29:42, 43 160 

30:7, 8 160, 163 

31:2-7 79 

31:13 269 

34:7 125 

34:29-33 102 

35:31-35 164 

40:9 141 

Leviticus. 

4:5 160 

4:7, 18, 25, 30 161 

4:8-10 162 

4:12 164 

4:26 161 

4:27-35 -159 

4:27-21 ; 31 162 

6:10, II 164 

6:30 163 

7:30 162 

9:24 157 

10:9-11 22 

10:16-18 163 

11:44 42 

14:4-7 166 

16:2 ; 8 : 13 ; 14 ; 11-14 171 

16:20 173 

16:22; 21 172 

17:11 157 

20:23 298 

23:4-11 ; 27 169 

23:29, 30 174 

23:31, 32 ; 29 171 

24:5-7 160 

35:9 170 

26:3-12 193 

Nttmbers. 

5:6,7 159 

12:6 134 

14:21 40 

14:34 151 

23:20 301 

24:15, 16 182 

24:17 132 

Deuteronomy. 

1:2 196 

2:6, 9 281 

4:5-7 273 

4:5-8 - 42 

4:7, 8 240 

4:9 297 

4:14-19 45 

4:15-19 250 

6:3-19, 20 22 

6:6, 7 42 

8:2 238 

10:1-5 ^^64 

11:13, 14 193 

11:19 ^65 



12:2 8g 

12:30 217 

13:1-2 134 

14:1-3 42 

15:6 40 

16:19 92 

21:20, 21 22 

28:11, 12 223 

28:12, 13 ... 40 

28:49-52 19 

28:53-57 276 

29:24, 25 276 

29:29 102, 285 

30:19,20 123 

32:2 193 

32:8 17, 69 

32:9 -— 94 

32:9-12 127 

33:14 294 

Joshua. 

4:21, 22 165 

24:2, 3 - 42 

24:13 213 

24:15 46 

Judges. 

5:1-31 23 

6:21 157 

Ruth. 
2:14.. 27 

/ Samuel. 

1:12, 13 160 

2:1-10 23 

2:3 82, 184 

2:7 124 

2:9 69, 124 

2:30 29, 141 

8:1-5 92 

8:3 23s 

8:19, 20 242 

10:5-12 ; 19 ; 23, 24 17 

14:6 69, 124 

16:4-13 244 

30:11, 12 27 

// Samuel. 

22:43 174 

23:1 236 

23:14-17 244 

/ Kings. 

4:29-34 227 

4:33 167 

17:13-16 26 

18:19 -.234 

18:21 257 

351 



352 



INDEX OF MARGINAL REFERENCES. 



«8:38 157 

19:5. 6 27 

19:9, 10, 18 270 

19:14, 18 286 

21:26 122. 

22:19-23 248 

22:18-23 32 



// Kings, 



4542-44 -• 27 

5:2-4 23, 76 

12:3 89 

17:6 89 

i8:ii 88 

18:21 241 

20:1-6 18 

2i:i-3 19 

23:21, 25 20 

23;3o. 34 20 

23'3i-37 21 

23:36 16 

24:1-4 ; 8, 9, 17 ; 10-16 21 

24:5 16 

24:17-20 21 

25:27, 30 21, 72 

/ Chronicles, 

1:5 88 

3:iS> 16 20 



// Chfonicles. 
6:36-39 95 

g:i ., 206 

14:11 124 

16:9 54 

17:7-12 18 

18:18 32 

20:20 48, 134 

25:2 277 

26:16-23 222 

32:24-26 18 

33:1-10 19 

36:1-10 20 

36:5-7 16 

36:17-19 Ill 

36:21 74, 137 

36:23 143 



Ezra, 



177 

143 

86 

186 

144 

79 

■ 78 

.144 

.... 144 

188 

188 

4:7, 18-24 ^88, 189 

4:24 »44 

5:1. 2 144. 189 

5:1-17 »44 

5:7-17 190 

6:1-12 190, 191 

7:6 201 

7:11-26. 145, 146, 151, 201, 267 



1:1, 2.... 

1:3 

1:1-5 ... 
1:1-6.-.. 
1 :7-i I . . 

1:9 

1:11 
2:64-67 
3:10, II. 
3:12, 13 
4:1-6 



8:21-23 138 

9:1, 2 201 

Nehemiah, 

2:1-6 201 

2:19 138 

4:13-21 201 

5:1-13 147 

5:5-8; 14, IS 147 

9:28 147 

13:10-13 ; 15-20 201 

13:171 18 275 

13:23, 24 201 

Job, 

1:6 232, 248 

1:6, 7 32 

1:8 141 

2:1, 2 32 

4:8, 9 255 

5:22-27 99 

5:26 94, 302 

8:13 277 

12:10 70, 109 

12:17-19 123, 214 

12:19 109 

12:21 123 

12:23 Ill 

12-23-25 124 

14:7-9 61, 65, 107 

15:21 123 

16:19 1,^. 117 

16:21 .'. 113 

18:5 240 

22:21 140 

23:12 141 

24:20 254 

28:10 295 

28:24-27 113 

28:28 29 

29:23 193 

30:3-8 276 

31:6 82 

33:13-17 34 

34:24 211 

34:29 238 

37:9, 22 220 

37:16 113 

37:19 96 

37:19-23 114 

39:18 104 

Psalms. 

1:1-3 91.253 

7:16 174 

7:16, 17 275 

8:3-5 179 

9:11, 12 272 

1^:4 154 

12:6 228 

13:12 54 

17:7 54 

17:9, 10 164 

17:13. 14 • 211 

18:19, 20 „ 90 

18:48 49 

19:1 291 

19:1-7 290 

19:3,4 53 

20:7 124 



22:27, 28 231 

22:28 148 

24:7-10 293 

24:9, 10 132 

25:12, 14. 37 

25:14 70 

29:9 297 

32:5 83 

32:8 294 

33:1 37 

33:13-15 44 

33:15-17 • 70 

33:16-18 124 

33:16-19 186 

34:3 54 

34:7 - -50, 99. "S 

34:15 54 

37:3 54 

37:12 93 

37:20 162 

37:24 49 

37:35 60 

37:3s. 36 66 

37:31, 37 94 

41:1-" 73 

42:1 141 

42:11 26 

44:6 124 

46:10 53 

47:8,9 276 

48:2, 3 192 

48:3, 5 214 

49:6, 7 235 

49:10 209 

49:11-13 276 

49:''5 192 

51:15 181 

51:17 140 

53:1 274 

54:25 300 

55:16, 17 95 

55:3 22 

57:1-5 98 

57:17 - "4 

59:1 54 

59:2 13s 

62:9 82 

62:11 253 

64:9 153 

66:7 276 

72:7 193 

• 73:9-17 276 

75:4-7 69, 80 

75:6,7 124 

76:10 49, 271 

77:18 207 

80:1 156 

82:5 292 

88:1 113 

89:9-11 185 

89:15 ••- "79 

90:5 77 

90:16 300 

91:7 180 

91:9-11 289 

9':i4 Ui 

92:8 290 

92:12-14 176 

94:12, 13 66 

95:10 196 

98:12 115, 290 

100:5 _ 231 

102:19 154 

103:15, 16 62 

103:19, 21 113 

104:4 115 

104:13 207 



INDEX OF MARGINAL REFERENCES. 



353 



105: " " 23 

105:13, 14 -184, 214 

105:22 42 

107:40 - 124 

110:7 135 

111:10 29 

113:4 24s 

113:19 62 

116:15 271 

119:59, 60 170 

119:67 71 

11971 72 

119:98-100 272 

119:98-101 30 

119:105 87 

119:130 297 

119:172 290 

127:1 80 

137:1-4 23 

137:1-6 74 

139:1-16 87 

139:7-12 116 

144:12 , 198 

145:11, 14 51 

146:3 122 

Proverbs. 

1:11 98 

1:24, 25 186 

1:24-28 288 

1:30. 31 227 

2:1-5 28, 204 

2:10, 11 40 

2:10, 12 29 

3:7,8 55 

3:13, 18 123 

3:25? 26 36 

3:33 220 

4:10, 12 26 

4:14, 15 93 

4:17-19 239 

4:18 164, 273, 286 

4:19 258 

4:20-22 55 

4:22 94 

5:22 46 

6:2, II 83 

6:17, 19 - 98 

6:20, 23 25 

7:4, 5- 241 

8:10... 245 

8:14-16 101 

8:15. 16 180 

10:2 194 

10:15 232 

11:3 227 

11:9 263 

11:14 255 

11:21 227 

11:22 - 241 

11:24 268 

11:30 294 

11:31 164 

13:6 102 

13:15 29 

14:28; 35 90 

14:34 230 

15:22 90 

15:3 271 

16:7 53,90 

16:14 26 

16:15- 193 

16:22 29 

16:25 237 

16:32 27, 124 

17:2 237 



17:11 190 

17:27 90 

20:1 25, 211 

20:11.. 19, 209 

20:28 185 

21:1 52, 191 

21:8 - 230 

21.29 90 

22:4 93 

22:6 30, 56 

22:7 232 

22:11 50 

22:29 30 

23:1-3 .24 

23:7 251 

23:11 47 

23:17, 19 91 

23:19-22 22 

23:20-21 55 

23:24-25 23 

23:29-32 25 

24:5 94 

24:6 90 

24:16 49 

25:28 211 

26:10 110 

27:4 _„.22I 

28:13 83 

28:15 I^I 

28:18 86 

29:2 234 

29;4 92 

29:14 230 

29:15 187 

29:15-17 19 

29:18 216 

30:5 204 

30:14 233 

31:4, 5 25 

Ecclesiastes. 

1:9 "^i 

1:9, 10 64 

1:10 92 

1:9, 10, 15 93 

2:12, 13 210 

2:26 85, 

3:14 238' 

3:15 64, 200 

3:17 102, 115 

3:18-20 212 

4:1 93 

5:8 234 

5:9; 10 235 

5:10, II 194 

5:13 93 

7:26 241 

7:27 116 

7:29 156, 297 

8:4 195, 232 

8:8 242 

8:9 234 

9:10 54 

9:12 92, 234 

10:16 234 

10:20 297 

12:13 - 30 

Songs of Solomon. 

8:6 220 

Isaiah, 
1:2-4 186 



1:3: 21-23 273 

1:4 205 

1:16-20 657 

1:18 162 

1:23 96 

3:13 46 

5:3, 4; 25 i8o 

5:4 75 

5:11 28 

5:13 18, 40, 295 

5:18 233 

8:1 207 

8:7 103, 279 

8:9 - 231 

8:9, 10 283 

8:9-12 98 

8:12 .124 

9:3 125 

9:6 240 

10:1-16 77 

10:6-10 277 

10:33, 34 274 

11:2, 3 162 

12:4 27 

13:1-5 80, 89 

13:1-15 70 

13:4, 5 277 

13:6-22 75 

13:12 -54 

13:11 -63, 241 

13:17 120 

13:17, 18 105 

13:19 33> loi 

14:3-7 32 

14:4 42 

14:4-6 70 

14:12-14 31, 132 

14:13 75,269 

14:13, 14 66 

14:29 278 

17:12, 13 I22, 235 

17:13 280 

18:7 253 

19:3,4 280 

21:1-3 120 

21:2 76, 86, 105 

21:3-5 79 

21:9 41,75 

22:5 277 

22:12-14 171 

23:7 231 

23:13 32, 103 

24:5, 6 167 

24:23 114 

26:4 53 

26:10 177 

26:12 86 

26:15 124 

26:19 100 

28:10 ig 

29, II, 12 302 

29:13-25 269 

30:1-3 222 

30:8 203 

30:8-10 224 

30:21 179 

31:1, 2 222 

31:3 222,277 

32:20 297 

35:1, 2 167 

37:19 59 

37:26 278 

38:1-5 i« 

39:1, 2 18,205 

39:6, 7 18 

40:12-17 113 

40:31 iSi 



354 



INDEX OF MARGINAL REFERENCES. 



41:1-3 87 

42:6, 7 17 

42:8 67, 257. 

42:13 281 

43:1-3 80 

43:1-13 89 

43:2 49 

43:10- 48 

44:3-6 193 

44:27 80, 86 

44:27, 28 268 

44:28 30, 75» 86, 143 

4S:i> 2 r- 30, 75. 86 

45:1-3 79,86 

45:1-4 80 

45:1-5 120, 268 

45: 4 245 

45:4,5 209 

45:5 - 94,208 

45:7 89 

45:13 143 

45:19 142 

45:22 204 

46:1,2 59 

46:4 94 

47:6; 9; 10 104 

47:10 33 

47:13, 14 33 

48:6 273 

48:18 ig, 253 

49:6 17, 218, 240 

49:7 273 

49:15 192 

49:16 114, 287 

49:23 211 

51:3 165 

51:57 85 

52:2 143 

52:7 - 297 

53:4 ii9 

53:8 245 

53:11 294 

55:2 26 

57:3,4 205 

57:9 204 

57:15 55 

58:1 272 

58:3---" 171 

58:7-11 6s 

58:8 26 

58:13 170 

58:13, 14 300 

59:1 54 

59:2 135, 286 

59:6-8 278 

60:2 139, 270 

60:3 21 1 

60:3-5 48 

61:10 287 

62:3 293 

63:1-6 290 

64:4 i8i 

65:5 139 

65:17 174 

65:24 181 

66:20 143 

Jeremiah. 

1:2, 3 19 

2:3 75 

2:13 240 

2:11-13 266 

2:22 116 

2:23-25 ..263 

3:14 250 

3:20 19 



210 

.186 

20 

98 

93 

122 

59 
167 

41 
93 

i8s 



3:24, 25 187 

5:6 

5:7 - 

5:15 

5:26 

6:13 

6:30 

8:9 

9:21 

9:23, 24.. 

10:2, 3 

10:7 

10:14-16 206 

10:25 163 

13:23 210 

15:16 151 

16:14, 15 143 

17:9 104 

17:24, 25 253 

18:7,8 70 

18 7, 10 84 

18:14 268 

18:15 261 

23:5, 6 75 

23:7^ 251 

23:28-32 261 

23:29 272 

25:11, 12 74, 137 

25:15-28 75 

25:29-33 276 

25:32, 33 103 

27:5-8 71 

27:6-11 31 

^r-1 • 41,73 

28:14 71 

29:4, 7 74 

29:10 74, 137 

20:3-9 • 75 

30:5-7 - 289 

31:3 287 

31:21 280 

31:34 174 

32:19 54 

33:22 292 

37:8-10 52 

38:3 52 

38:14-23 ; 14-17 52 

38:17, 18 41 

38:17-28 22 

38:20,23 53 

39:5-20 53 

39:11-14 71 

44:30 71 

46:15 ; 17 202 

46:19, 20 185 

,46:24, 25 214 



76 
104 

120 

75 
89 

63 



46:11, 12 

49:16 

49:39 - 

50:7 

50:9 

50:15, 16, 29 

50:17 --; 74 

50:20 174 

50:23 58 

50:24-28; 28 79 

50:24 85 

50:25 80 

50:33,34 75 

50:35-46 84 

50:38 72. 80, 86, 104, 229 

50:53; 46 77 

50:58 32 

51:6 74,87 

51:6, 9, 10 igi 

51:7 42 

51:8,6, 35,47 75 



51:9 64, 70, 253 

51:" „ 63,79,89 

51:11, 28 76 

51:17, 18 222 

51:20 123 

51:20-23 71 

51:25 -- 33,80 

51:27,28 80 

51:30 .: 104 

51:33 85 

51:34,35 228 

51:36 86 

51:40:41 85 

51:46; 24; 29 77 

51:53 79 

51:53-58 85 

51:60-64 73 

51:63, 64 71 

Lamentations. 

1:7; 2:6 74 

2:9 205, 216 

4:1, 2 177 

4:12 16 

4:16, i8, 19 74 



EzekieL 



16 

26,28 

6 



16 

26 

15, 16. 
14-16 . 
24, 25- 
10-12 . 

4-r 



182 

113 

290 

■112, 151 

268 

289 

216 

171 

70 

75 

2S9 

65 



14-20 26 

49 27 

4 70 

12,16, 20 74 



24 275 

24 276 

25-27 202 

8 275 



9 

12-14. 

25 



.270 
.276 
.261 



26 254 

27 •- 255, 262 

14-16 , 177 

14-18 229 



17 

27 

2, 3 ; 15-28. 
2, 3 



2,4. 
13... 



204 

241 

75 

280 

75 

258 

233 

231 

"4 

293 

165 

3 - 75 

3.6,7 241 

17-21 58 

18-20 70 

9-11 58 

10, II 57 

25 58 

- 58 

83 



1-8 , 12 . 
10-16.... 



INDEX OF MARGINAL REFERENCES. 



35 5 



34:8 261 

34:8 — --300 

34:18, ig 268 

34:18-21, 31 261 

43:8 261 

47:12 157 

Daniel. 

1:1 31 

1:1,2 16 

1:3-6 23 

1:7-9 24 

1:8 ....298 

1:10, II 25 

1:12-14 25 

1:15, 16 26 

1:17 - 28 

1:17-20 33 

1:18-20 29 

1:20 64 

1:21 30 

2:1 31 

2:2-4 34 

2:5-9 34 

2:10-16 _ 36 

2:17, 18 36 

2:19-23 37 

2:21 124 

2-24,25 37 

2:26-49 37, 40 

2:27, 19 64 

2:28 102, 284 

2:31-35 102, 184 

2:31-39 211 

2:31-45 284 

2:32, 38 103 

2:32-39 88 

^2:34 118, i2g 

2:35 129 

2:36 75 

2:37,38 31 

2:38 64, 103 

2:39 210, 214 

2:40 231 

2:40-42 107 

2:40-43 228 

2:43 220 

2:44 232, 236 

2:44,45 57 

2:47 71 

2:48 73 

2:49 76 

3:1-6 43 

3:4-6 246 

3:7 44 

3:8-12 46 

3:13-17 47 

3:18 64 

3:18-22 48 

3:23 49 

3:24, 25 49 

3:25 251 

3:26-28 50 

3:28 71 

3:29- 52 

3:29, 30 53 

3:3o» 53 

4:1-3 57 

4:4-8; 9 59 

4:6-9 64 

4:10-12 60 

4:13-18 61 

4:17 70, 124, 231 

4:17-25 124 

4:19-23 62 

4:23 107 



4:24 

4:24-26 ; 27, 2? 
4:29-32; 33..... 
4:32 -- 

4:34-37 



209, 



■ 75 
65 
66 

211 
67 



.127 
.129 



4:36, 37 ; 37 71 

5:1 ; 2 73 

5:1, 2 195 

5:1-4 78, 104 

5:5,6 79 

5:7-9 79 

5:8, 13. 14 64 

5:10-13..... 80 

5:14-21 81 

5:21 - 124 

5:22, 23 ; 24 82 

5:25, 26 82 

5:26 202 

5:27 83, 242 

5:27, 28 136 

5:28, 29 84 

5:29-31 - 105 

5:30,31 85, 137, 185 

5:31 88, 185 

6:1 121 

6 
6 
6 
6 
6 
6 
6 
6 
6 



:i-3 90 

:2 92, 137 

:3 ; 4-22 176 

:4;S 93 

:6-9 93 

:io : 94 

:ii-i3 97 

:i2 229 

:i4, 15 ; 16,17 98 

6:18; 23 ; 28 •- 185 

6:18-24 99 

6:22 251 

6:25-28 100 

:i 75, 102 

:i-8 184 

:i-27 284 

:2 ;3 ;4; 17,23 103 

:5 105, 120 

:6 106, 123, 216 

:7 262 

:7, 19 228 

'."] , 8 ic6, 129 

:9; 10 107,154 

19, 10 112, 129, 149, 152, 287 

:g-i4 102 

:io-i3 107 

:ii 117, 129 

:i2 224 

:i3 114 

:i4 70, 107, 114 

115-23 108 

:i9 125, 126, 228 

:2i 129 

:2i, 22 112 

:24; 25, 26 109 

125 129, 228, 270, 296, 300 



.118 
.118, 119 
-73, "9 



:i-27 284 

:2 86, 90, 120, 134 

:3 - 120 

:3-8 211 

:4 121 

210 

121 



:5 

:5,6 

:6 123 

:7 122, 134, 185 

:8 123, 124, 209, 210, 213 

:9 219, 228,233, 234 

:9. 10 "S 



^:i3-27 129-131 

8:14 ii5> M9, 151, 169, 173, 286 

8:16 135 

8:16, 17 15 

8:17 284 

8:19 15, 285 

8:20 --.105, 121 

8:21 121 

8:21, 22 106, 211 

8:22 125 

8:23-25 126, I2g, 228 

8:24 126 

8:25 no, 127, 233, 268 

8:26 16, 136 

9:1, 2 137, 185 

9:3-9 137, 138 

9:10-18 138, 139 

9:16 75 

9:19 --- - 129, 139 

9:20, 21 140 

9:22, 23 141 

9:23- 141, 177 

9:24 141 

9:24-27 284 

9:25 - 147 

9:25, 26 ....142 

9:26 150, 239 

9:26, 27 ; 27 149 

0:1 184, 186 

0:1-3 ; 177 

0:1, 4 285 

0:3 26 

0:4 295 

0:4-8.. - 178 

0:9; 10, II i7g 

o:ii-ig 284 

0:12, 13 180 

0:13 144, 188, 205, 22g 

0:14 15, 284 

0:14, 15; 16, 17 181 

0:18-21 18 

0:20 15, 71, 185, 202, 208 

0:20, 21 123 

0:21.. loi, 131, 132,238 

;i 185 

;i-45 *- 152, 284 

12 122, 194 

12-4 106, 211, 213 

■3 12 1, 208 

:4 124, 213 

15 214, 219 

;6 220 

;6.-i3 .- 2rg 

7, 8; 9; 10-12 221 

:i3 65, 224 

;i4 203,224, 227, 228, 231 

233 

239 

240 

241 

242 

245 

247 



;i5 ...... 

:i6 

:i7 

18, 19 



23, 24 255 

259 



:24 

125-27 . 
;28, 29 



..262 
.264 
265 



30 

;3I 266, 267 

32 270 

;33 30,271 

34,35 --271 

135 ...284, 290 

36 273 



356 



INDEX OF MARGINAL REFERENCES. 



11:37-39 274 

11:40 278 

ii:4i> 43 281 

11:44-45 282 

11:45 286 

12:1 56, 288 

12:2 289 

12:3 187, 294 

12:4 16, 204, 298 

12:4, 9 285 

12:5, 6 134, 299 

12:7; 8; 9 299 

12:9, 10, 13 16 

12:10 301 

12:10-23 300, 301 

12:11 267 

12:13 204, 284, 302 

Hosea. 

2:18 99 

4:6 40 

4:6-10 18 

4:12 260 

4:17 72, 264 

6:3 286 

6:9 270 

7^ 257 

7:8 266 

8:3 258 

8:4 255 

8:7 63 

8:12 257 

9:1 260, 264 

9:9 255 

9:10 257 

9:15, 17 254 

10:2 257 

10:12 193 

11:4-8 186 

12:4 244 

12:10 103 

13:1- 256 

13:4 221 

13:7 - 210 

13:14 zoo, 292 

13:15 259 

X4:i. 2 254 

Joel 

2:23 193 

Amos. 

2:4 262 

3:3 260 

37 70, loi, 285 

3:9. 10 221, 255 

47» 8 193 

57, 12, 13 257 

5:10, 12 93 

8:8 274 

9:8 213, 264 

Obadiah. 

1:16 164 

3:4 265 

10: 263 

Micah, 

»J"i» 3 201, 202 

a!7-ii 263 



3:2, 3 270 

3:5-7 266 

3:10, 11 262 

3:11 92 

5:2 148, 243 

6:13 234 

7:2-4 92, 240 

7:10 174 

7:18, 19 202 

Nahitm. 

1:9 174 

2:3-6 296 

3:2, 3 122 

Habakkitk. 

1:5-13 70 

1:8 233 

1:6-10 103 

1:11 --104, 117 

1:13-16 219 

2:2, 3 203 

2:^-7 214 

2:14 40 

3:2 300 

3:4 113. 294 

Zephaniah. 

3:1-4 274 

3:4 260 

Haggai. 

1:1-6 189 

1:4 144 

. 2:7-9 192 

2:15-19 I47>i93 

2:18, 19 144 

Zechariah. 

2:8 93, 127 

2:9 80 

2:9-12 192 

3:6, 7 127 

3:7 293 

4:10 164 

4:11, 12 84, 286 

7:" 138, 196 

7:14 103 

8:3 192 

8:13 271 

9:9 192 

9:9-11 147 

9:16 293 

6:17 26 

10:1 193 

12:8 193 

12:11-14 289 

13:6 114 

14:4-9 193 

14:8 157 

Malachi. 

2:7, 8 261 

2:11 262 

3" 148 

355 227 



3:13-15 27s 

3:17 293 

4:1-3 164, 174 

4:2 285 

4:5,6 148 

4:6 298 

Esther. 

1:1 121, 194 

1:2; 3,4; S; 6; 7 195 

1:4 121 

1:9-22 195 

2:5; 10; 17 195 

2:15; 20; 21-23 196 

2:21-25 199 

3:2 -196 

3:6; 12-14; 13-15 188, 198, 246 

3:8-12 196, 198 

3:13 105, 205 

4:1-3; 8; 1-17 198 

4:15. 16 199 

5:1 199 

7:10 199 

8:11-14 199 

/ Maccabees. 

1:13-15 208 

1:28 214 

1:39-46 214 

// Maccabees. 

2-4-8 265 

4:5-16 215 

5:19 223 

6:1-4 217 

Matthew. 

2:1, 2, 10, 11 243 

2:2 291 

2:9 132 

2:15 241 

3:1 217 

3:5,6 246 

3:5. 13; 14, 15; 17 148 

4:1-4 27 

4:1-11 196 

4:11 132 

4:23, 24 246 

57 72 

5:8 131 

5:14 "3 

5:16 5°, 299 

5:17, 18.... 258 

6:7 250 

6:23 270 

6:24 44,258 

7:15 ^27, 257 

7:21 256 

8:2, 3 180 

8:11 2ig 

10:29 "3 

10:32 48 

12:30 213 

12:34, 35 • - -- 50 

12:36, 37 = 87, 117 

12:43-45 163 

13:30 - 237 

13:41 288 

14:18-29 27 

14:23 .- 96 



INDEX OF MARGINAL REFERENCES. 



357 



15:2, 3. 6 207 

15:9 258 

16:26 48 

17:24-27 234 

ig:9 220 

20:22, 23 289 

20:25-27 238 

21J12-16 ig2 

21:16 33 

22:14 42 

22:17-21 239 

22:18-22 69 

23:3 208 

23:12 65 

23:27, 28 258 

23:38 150. 155 

24:3, IS ^5 

24:12 254 

24:14 297 

24:15 loi, 149 

24:21 254 

24:21, 22 Ill, 270 

24:22 230 

24:24 134. 253 

24:305 31 292 

24:49-51 55 

26:12 155 

26:13 163 

27:21 232 

27:21, 22 159 

27:38; 32; 54 247 

27:51 155 

27:52, 53 289 

27:62-66 98, 108 

28:2; 4 132 

28:19,20 187,251 

28:20 299 

Mark. 

1:10 147, 151 

1:13 99 

1:15 141, 149 

1:31 179 

4:22 87 

6:51, 52 54 

7:8,9 258 

10:35-37 128 

11:22-24 52 

11:24 49 

16:6 132 

16:17, 18 180 

Luke. 

1:9, 10 163 

1:13, 15,63 217 

1:19 131, 180 

1:26, 27 , 132 

1:80 217 

2:1, 2 148 

2:1-4 107 

2:1-9; 10-14 243 

2:7-12 287 

2:13, 14 132 

2:25, 38 246 

2:42, 49, 52 ig 

3:1-3 148 

3:21, 22 147 

4:18 236 

4:18, 19 149 

6:12 96 

6:ig 179 

7:47 83 

10:27 44 

10:39 225 



11:10 106 

12:28-30 192 

14:11 44 

14:16-24 .. 194 

16:10 29 

16:31 65 

17:20, 21 249 

19:41-45 149 

21:20 15 

21:12, 13 51 

21:14, 15 47 

21:34 27, 175 

21:34, 36 298 

21:35 149 

22:43 132 

22:44 167 

23:39-43 168 

23:47 150 

24:5 132 

24:5, 6 251 

24:21 246 

24:25 191 

24:26, 27; 44 168 



John. 

1:4 178 

1:9 164 

1:11 149 

1:29 168 

1:31-34 148 

1:35-37 149 

1:41 i47 

1:42 81 

2:19-21 155 

2:27 16 

3:2 187 

3:7 126 

3:16 114, 125 

3:31 213 

4:24 45 

5:28, 29 242, 292 

5:39 142 

5:42-44 251 

5:45-47 159 

6:63 162, 225, 228 

7:15, 16 217 

7:37 245 

7:46 295 

8:32 147 

8:36 147, 213, 234 

8:44 134 

10:10 100, 180 

10:11-17 139 

12:3 163 

12:20, 21 108 

12:20-30 179, 247 

14:2, 3 .--292 

14:6 248 

14:30 232, 251 

16:13 28 

16:33 92, 127 

17:5 "3 

17:17 184, 226 

17:21 293 

19:29 168 

19:34 167 

21:9, 12 27 

Acts. 

1:6 246 

1:9-11 132 

2:8-11 249 



2:24 98, 247 

3:13-16 127 

3:19-21 173 

4:13 250 

4:26, 27 108, 127, 247 

4:36 81 

5:34 217 

7:23-30 196 

7:52 127 

8:1-4 151 

8:4 249 

10:34,35- 69,253 

10:38 147 

13:6-10 134 

13:10 126 

13:46 142 

13:47 240 

13:47,48 17 

14:11-13 207 

15:18 123 

15:20, 28, 29 128 

15:26; 28, 29 250 

16:13 g6 

16:16 134 

16:37, 38 236 

17:21 218 

17:24, 25 240 

17:26; 16-21 229 

17:26, 27 69 

17:28 82, 113 

20:28 167 

20:29, 30 128 

20:30 127 

21:25 128 

21:37 237 

21:39 232 

22:3 218 

22:25-29 236 

23:27 236 

24:14 263 

24:24. -- 115 

28:16, 30. 110 



Romans. 

1:8 no, 128,249 

1:19, 20, 25 - 89 

1:21-30 206 

1:20-22 218 

1:25 212, 236, 269 

2:12, 13 164 

3:21 164 

5:8 173 

5:20 83 

6:6-8 156 

6:23 46,70, 174 

7:7 269 

7:18-25 250 

8:7 250 

8:31 185 

10:14, 15 297 

10:18 53 

11:18 60, 107 

11:33 34 

11:33-36 261 

12:1, 2 175 

12:11 91 

13:1 44 

13:1-7 69 

13:6, 7 234 

13:", 12 87, 153 

14:4 - 49. 56 

14:23 ■ 22s 

1554 44, 54. 229 

16:17, 18 128 

16:19 So 



358 



INDEX OF MARGINAL REFERENCES. 



/ Corinthians . 

i:ii 128 

1:19-25 33 

1:22 229 

1:22-25 2iq 

1:28-30 67 

2:9, 10 103 

2:14 96, "9. 159. 291 

2:14, 15 35. 183 

3:17 165 

4:5 "6 

4:9 80 

57 169 

6:19, 20 155 

8:9-13 128 

8:5 - 236 

9:25 27 

9:24-27 207 

9:26, 27 178 

10: II 57, 71. 157 

10:13 96 

10:15 ^^ 

10:19, 20.. 128 

12:28, 29 131 

14:1 131 

14:8 225 

15:4, 20, 23 169 

// Corinthians. 

1:14 295 

2:14-16 162 

3:2,3 50 

3:17 238 

3:18 139 

4:4 213, 246 

4:6 247 

4:16 178 

5:14 46 

5:20 50, 139 

10:4, 5 218, 225, 275 

11:3 65, 213 

11:14 »34 

11:25-28 250 

12:4 182 

13:8 S3, 231 

Galatians. 

1:4 162 

2:20 96, 156, 249 

3:8 159 

4:9, 10 250 

4:9-" ■ 63 

5:1 226 

5:9 107 

6:7 63, 260 

6:22, 23 55 

Ephesians . 

1:14 167 

2:2 126 

2:2, 3 213 

2:9 .*.. 270 

2:14-16 , 173 

2:22 96 

3:9, 10 114 

3:16, 17 162 

3:16-19 96 

3:19 252 

4:8 289 

4:" ^^31 



'4:14 .128 

4:17-19 286 

5:2 163 

5:8, II - 285 

5:18 96 

5:23 Ill, 294 

5:27 302 

6:1 295 

6:4 298 

6:12 239 

6:17 256 

Philippians. 
1:12, 13 218, 254 

i:n;, 16 128 

1:16-19 281 

2:5 213 

3:21 292 

4:13 162 

4:22 254 

Colossians . 

1:6 128 

1:6, 23 249 

1:13 250 

1:17 "3. 294 

1:27 249 

2:3 67 

2:8; 18 208, 246 

2:17 150 

2:18-24 246 

3:11 249 

3:17 • - 91 

/ Thessalonians. 

2:19, 20 295 

3:16 292 

4:17 292 

5:3 288 

5:4. 5 299 

// Thessalonians. 

2:3—7 267, 268 

2:4 117, 125, 268 

2:4-7 128 

2:5-7 "I 

2:7 no 

2:8 269, 290 

2:10 83 

/ Timothy. 

1:4 207 

2:5 269 

2:5,6 155 

3:16 252 

4:1-3 • 275 

4:2 55 

4:8 207 

4:12 36 

6:20, 21 206, 207, 246 

// Timothy. 

1:5 ..22, 128 

1:10 180 

2:7 16 

3:13 -■ -■ 100 

3:15 ••' "7 



3:15-17 225, 272 

4:3, 4 224 

4:7. 8 302 

Tit lis. 

3:1 44 

3:9 128 

Hebrews. 

1:14 60, 115, 180 

2:3 142, 150 

2:12, 13 294 

2:14 118, 248 

3:7, 8 117 

3:17 196 

4:1 225 

4:12 163 

4:13 "6 

4:14-16 174 

4:15 251 

5:8 72 

6:19, 20 155 

7:25 "7, 174 

8:1-5 152 

8:3-5 »SS 

8:5 169 

9:1-6 160 

9:7 173 

9:8,9, 11,23,24 155 

9:9 159. 161 

9:11, 12 161 

9:23; 24 "2 

10:1 150 

10:32-36 152 

11:3 225, 294 

11:4 157 

11:6 225 

11:25, 26 56 

12:1 250 

12:4-11 66 

13:20, 21 247, 290 

James. 

1:12 100 

1:15 276 

1:17 180,206 

2:6 232 

2:12 ...i 170 

3:15 ^° 

4:4 260 

4:14 34 

4:11-16 9' 

4:17 253 

5:1-5 93 

5:1-6 128 

5:8 193 

5:16 180, 300 

5:17 54 

/ Peter, 

1:7 178, 254 

1:12 129, 299 

2:9 42, 295 

2:12 52 

2:24 139) 163, 168 

3:15 30 

4:17 "9. 142 

5:6 67 

5:8 a6o 



INDEX OF MARGINAL REFERENCES. 



359 



II Petef. 



i:ii 57 

1:20 151 

1:21 204 

2:1 251 

2:1-3 m 

353 77 

3:3, 4- 19 

/ John. 

1:7 "6, 15s 

1:9 83, 117 

2:13, 14 23 

2:16 64 

2:20, 27 16, 28 

3:1, 2 212 

3:4 253 

3:5 248 

3:8 118 

5:4 — - 49 

5:7 132 

5:19 251 

/// John. 
1:2 26 

Revelation. 

1:1 134 

1:7 149 

1:15-18 178 

2:4 254 

2:7 156 

2:14 128, 251 



2 29 16 

3:5 "5, 164,287 

3:8 114 

3:20 141, 211 

4:1 182 

4:3 116 

4:5 164 

6:2 254 

6:14 292 

7:1, 2 283 

7:9 74 

7:9. 10 294 

7:14 168 

8:3, 4 163 

8:7-13 107 

9:1-21 219 

9:23 280 

0:1, 2; 9 152 

1:1 170 

1:2, 3 112 

1:3 296 

1:8 285 

1:19 152, i54j 287, 300 

2:9, 12 127 

2:10 249 

2:12 249, 260 

2:15 251 

2:16 271, 296 

2:17 127, 254, 260 

3:1 230 

3:2 126, 229, 231, 236, 268 

3:3. 10 278 

3:7, 8 270 

3:8 113, 156, 293 

3:14-17 55- 

3:16, 17 200 

4:1; 3; 4 293 

4:3-5 ■■ 175 

4:6 300 

4:6-12 149 

4:6,7 ii5> iSi» 152 



14:0 41 

i4:8-i2.„ 170 

14:9 55 

14:12 253, 298 

14:13 285, 289 

15:2; 3 293, 295 

15:2, 3 201 

15:3 293 

16:12 286 

16:16 220 

16:16-18 134 

17:3 - 110,253, 258 

17:4 42 

17:5 69, 204, 229 

17:6 no, 253 

17:15 103 

17:18 232, 253, 258 

18:1 147 

18:1-4 42 

18:2 204 

18:3 --631, 204 

18:4 74» 87 

18:16 256 

18:16, 17 42 

18:21 71 

i9-:i3, 16; 14 .• 290 

19:10 132 

19:19 220 

19:20 117, 232 

20:1-3; 10 174 

20:4, 6 118 

20:9, 15 164 

20:12 116 

21:1 167 

21:7 194 

22:1, 2 32, 156 

22:3 118, 167 

22:9 132 

22:11 117, 288 

22:12 152 

22:17 46 



FEB 24 1908 






1/ 



/ 






